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PAST AND PRESENT "^f 



y^ a -'^T 



OF 



CLINTON COUNTY 
MICHIGAN 



BY 



JUDGE S. B. DABOLL 

ASSISTHD BY D. W. KELLEY 
TOGETHER WITH 

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 

OF MANY OF ITS PROMINENT AND LEADING CITIZENS AND ILLUSTRIOUS DEAD 



ILLUSTRATE D 



CHICAGO: 

THE S. J. CLARKE PUBLL^HINCi CO. 

I'lOi; 



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BcMcatc? to tbe 

Pioneers 
ot (Iltnton Countv 



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PREFACE. 



THE piiblisliers take pride in presenting this volume to the pubHc. The historical part is 
the work of Judge S. B. Daboll, assisted by D. W. Kelley. It was the intention of 
Judge Daboll to write the entire volume, but personal matters required his attention 
to such an extent that he was compelled to call to his assistance Mr. Kelle\-. and no 
reader of the work hut will declare it well done. 

The biographical part of the work is the compilation of well qualified men. those 
long experienced in the business. They have gone to the people, the men and women 
who have, by their enterprise and industry, brought the county to a rank second to 
none among those comprising this great and noble State, and from their lips have the story of 
their life struggles. \o more interesting or instructive matter could be presented to an intelligent 
public. In this volume will be found a record of many whose lives are worthy the imitation of 
coming generations. It tells how some, commencing life in poverty, by industrv^ and 
economy have accumulated wealth. It tells how others, with limited advantages for securing 
an education, have become learned men and women, with an influence extending throughout 
the length and breadth of the land. It tells of men who have risen from the lower walks of 
life to eminence as statesmen, and whose names have become famous. It tells of those in 
even,' walk in life who have striven to succeed, and records how success has usually 
crowned their efforts. It tells also of many, very many, who, not seeking the applause of the 
world, have pursued the "even tenor of their way," content to have it said of them, as Christ 
said of the woman performing a deed of mercy — "They have done what they could." It 
tells how many in the pride and strength of young manhood, left the ])low and the anvil, the 
lawyer's office and the counting-room, left every trade and profession, and at their country's 
call went forth valiantly "to do or die," and how through their efforts the Union was 
restored and jieace once more reigned in the land. In the life of every man and of ever}' 
woman is a lesson that should not be lost upon those who follow after. 

Coming generations will appreciate this volume and preserve it as a sacred treasure, from 
the fact that it contains so much that would never find its way into public records, and which 
would otherwise be inaccessible. Great care has been taken in the compilation of the work 
and every opportunity possible given to those represented to insure correctness in what has 
been written; and the publishers flatter themselves that they give to their readers a work with 
few errors of consequence. In addition to biographical sketches, portraits of a number of 
representative citizens are given. 

The faces of some, and biographical sketches of many, will be missed in this volume. 
For this the publishers are not to blame. Not having a proper conception of the work, some 
refused to give the information necessary to Compile a sketch, while others were indifferent. 
Occasionally some member of the family would oppose the enterprise, and on account of such 
opposition the support of the interested one would be withheld. In a few instances men never 
could be found, though repeated calls were made at their residence or place of business. 

January. 1906. The S. T. Clarke Publishing Co. 




/^<rA^ /vi /^^^ 



-^y^y-J^n.' 



Biographical. 



PORTER K. PERRIX. 



X 



As the (lay with its morning of hope and 
promise, its noontide of activity, its evening; of 
completed and successful effort ending in the 
grateful rest and (juiet of the night, so was the 
life of Porter K. Perrin. of St. Johns. To him 
there came tlic attainment of distinguished 
honors and successes, but it was not his political 
])rominence nor his prosperity that gained him 
the place which lie occupied in the hearts of his 
fellowmen. hut a character in which the strong- 
est and most commendable \irtues were daily 
practiced, a spirit of lo\ing helpfulness and 
kindliness, and a devcition to all that was true 
and noble in all man's relations with his fellow- 
men. ?le left Ijeliind him a name that will l)e 
honored as long as memory remains to those 
with whom he was associated in any relation. 

.V native of \'ermont. Porter K. Perrin was 
torn in the town of Berlin, September 13, 1833. 
and his early common-.school education was 
supplemented by an academic course, subse- 
quent ti) which time he entered the Law 
Universitv at .\lbany. New York, fnim which 
he was graduated in the class of 1857. He was 
admitted to practice in the cmu'ts of Xew ^'ork 
and .\lbany and in the courts of Indianapolis, 
Indiana, removing to the latter citv in 1858. 
He also resided fur some time at Cincinnati. 
Ohio, whence be came to Michigan in .\ugust. 
i860. He was admitted to ])ractice in the courts 
of this state at St. Jnhns and in the L'nited 
States courts at Detroit, l-'rom September 13, 
i86r, until July 17, 1863, he was editor and 



part owner of the Clinton Republican. Hearing 
his countrx's call for aid, he sold the paper to its 
former proprietor, H. S. Hilton, and putting 
aside all business and personal interests, re- 
s])onded to the call, enlisting as a member of 
Company I. Twenty-seventh Michigan Infantiy 
u])on its organization. This was in 1863 and 
he was commissioned first lieutenant on the 
20th of December, with which rank he was 
mustered in on the 30th of December, 1863. 
On the 29th of February, 1864, lie was com- 
missioned captain of the First Company of 
Sharpshooters, being mustered in as such on 
the I si of March, follf)wing, and on the ist of 
April, 1864, was commissioned major of the 
Second Michigan [nfantrv, thus serving until 
honorably discharged on account of disability 
.\o\ember J3. 1864. The same loyalty w-hich 
was manifested in all life's relations was dis- 
played b\' him in his military service. As a 
citizen lie was ever public-spirited and had the 
welfare and improvement of county, state and 
nation at heart. 

hollowing his discharge Mr. Perrin returned 
to St. Johns and resumed the iiractice of law. 
In the early da\s of his connection with the 
Michigan bar he w;is known as a trial lawyer, 
fretpiently ap])earing before court or jury, but 
in later years he retired from active practice in 
the courts to give his attention to other, but no 
less im])ortant, departments of law work. In 
i86<j he was chosen jjrobate judge of Clinton 
county and filletl the office for four years. He 
was a wise counsellor, thoroughly versed in the 
l)inciples of jiu-isprudence. W'iien death 



8 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



claimed him the memljers of the CHnton county 
bar met to pay a last tribute of respect to his 
memor}' and speaking on this occasion E. PI. 
Lyon said: "In the capacity of administrator, 
in the handling of estates, and in acting as 
guardian and as trustee for minors and mentally 
incompetent persons and trustee of said estates, 
I believe I am fairly entitled to say that in his 
handling and care of such matters no one couM 
have done it lietter nor could have done it in a 
fairer manner or in a more satisfactory man- 
ner, and accomplished better results than the 
deceased. I recollect that a little while ago in 
a trial that was had in this court and in this 
room before your honor in the matter of the 
estate of Thomas F). McKee. a mentally ifi- 
competent per.son, that the deceased was 
brought into court as a witness in the case and 
disclosed to the court, 1 believe, to the astonish- 
ment and to the agreeable surprise both of the 
court and the counsel on toth sides that he took 
that estate — and I speak of this merely because 
it is an illustration of the kind of work that he 
was doing — he took that estate when it consisted 
of an old watch, an old horse, and a cart that 
was broken down, and in a few years, with the 
aid of a pension that the man was receiving, he 
turned over to him an estate of upwards of two 
thousand dollars and had procured for him a 
good substantial lixelihood covering the period 
The one peculiarity about it that I recollect, and 
I presume your Honor will recollect, was tliat 
during that lime the charge for his services in 
looking after and caring for the man's estate 
was almost nominal. practicalK' nominal. I onlv 
speak of that as one illustration of what 1 lie- 
lieve every attorney at this bar knows has ')een 
the frer|uent and constant habit of Mr. Perrin. 
■■During the years that any or all of us 
have known him he has been rigidlv economical, 
just as careful of the expenditure and the 
preservation of the i)roperty of others as he 
would be with his own, and at the conclusion of 
his practice it has been the almost invariable 
practice that he has left the estate, the property, 
the business in his hands in far better shape than 
it was when he received it, and almost uui- 
versallv his acts and his actions in those re- 



spects have been entirely satisfactory. His 
model has 1)een a good example. His conduct 
toward other members of the bar has been 
universally kind." On the same occasion John 
Ci. Patterson speaking of Mr. Perrin said: "I 
have known Mr. Perrin practically all my life 
time and I think I can truthfully say that the 
expressions that ha\e been made in regard to 
him can be vouched for by all. I think through- 
out the county of Clinton that there isn't a man 
I don't think there is a man in any profession, 
in either the legal or any other profession that 
is so commonly spoken of as being one of the 
best and most honorable and truthful men of 
this county. He has practically been, you might 
say, throughout this county a man who enjoyed 
the greatest degree of honor and respect, and it 
has been the general feeling throughout the 
entire community that when one sought counsel 
from the Perrins dieir ad\-ice could be relied 
upon. I have known him a long time, and I 
can not refrain from saying that he has always 
been one of the foremost men of this county, 
and so far as our profession is concerned I be- 
lie\e he has always reflected credit upon it as 
a standard of honestv. integrity and fair deal- 
ing." 

.\ot alone by reason of his able legal .services 
was Mr. Perrin widely and favorably known 
for in other departments of activity his efforts 
were equallv honorable and beneficial. He was 
L'nited States commissioner f(^r al)Out six and 
a half }-ears and in 1S7--8 represented his dis- 
trict in the state senate. In fact in the early 
histor\- of Clinton county he was a ])rominent 
figure in local politics, frequently taking the 
slump in the interest of his party. .\s a public 
s]ieaker he was both temperate and logical, his 
fairness and courteous treatment of an opponent 
in debate winning him liotli friends and votes. 
He was one of those who labored zealously for 
the building of the present county com"thouse in 
iSjo. when an expenditure of forty-five 
thousand dollars was looked upon as a large sum 
of money by the residents of the outlying town- 
shi])s. Realizing the great need of this public 
improvement, he stumped the county at his own 
expense ruid was rewarded for his labor liy the 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



9 



necessary appn)])riati()n l)ein_<( made. .-\s state 
.senator he was a conscientious niemlier of the 
u])]ier house, using; his influence al all times tor 
the iRililic good. Legislation in the interests of 
corix)rations, companies or individuals, if 
drafted f<ir the purpose <it undue advantage or 
private gain, he vigorously o])posed. He coun- 
.selled against extravagant appropriation of 
money for pul)lic otVicials. It was witii jiride 
that lie s]-K)l<e of the passage of eveiy bill of 
which he was the author, becoming a law. 

I'.xtending his efforts to other business lines 
I'orter K. I'errin was for twelve years the presi- 
dent of the State Bank of St. Ji^hns and for 
Ine \ears was president of the Durand Land 
Company. To these interests lie brought keen 
discernment, sounil judgment and an irreproach- 
able business integrity which e\er character- 
ized him and the success of Ijoth corporations 
was attributable in large measure to his efforts 
,'uid wise counsel. .\t a regular board meeting 
of the directors of the State Bank of St. Johns 
held under date of April 6. 1903, J. W. Fitz- 
gerald offered the following resolutions upon 
the death of Porter K. Perrin, which were 
adopted: "Whereas. In the Providence of 
.Mmighty God. our esteemed fellow citizen and 
])resi(lent of the State Bank of St. Johns, Porter 
K. I'errin has been called from this life to life 
eternal, the Ixiard of directors of this bank in 
common with the grief stricken family, surviv- 
ing relatives and frienils and the community at 
large, where he was so well and favorably 
known and respected, mourn his loss. There- 
fore be it resolved that in die death of Porter 
K. I'errin. the wife has lost a devoted husband, 
the family a tender and indulgent father, the 
community an honest, upright citizen and this 
board an intelligent and capable official, genial 
and pleasant as a presiding officer, always 
modest and courteous among those with whom 
he was associated in this body, wearing all 
honors that came to him as the bank's jiresident 
with becoming grace, he won our admiration 
<ind commanded our respect by the fairness and 
justness with which he presided over our de- 
lilierations, taking greater pleasure in bestowing 
l)raise u|)on others if merited than wishing even 



the faintest allusion of a compliment for himself. 
Conservative and methodical in all things, 
ch.iritable toward associates for all errors and 
missteps, he never forgot that t<> err is hu- 
man, while forgiveness is a divine attribute — 
a beacon light from God to man. As a financier 
his heart and lirain was in his work and the 
State I'ank of St. Johns, of which he was presi- 
dent for so many years, was his watchful solici- 
tude and ])ride. (jone in the fullness of his 
manhood, in the strength of his usefulness, in 
the day of his best judgment and ripest thought, 
his dearest solicitude the familv he loved, ac- 
knowledging always his fellowman his friend, 
he lived in the .sunlight of God a clean, upright, 
honorable life without blemish or stain. As an 
evidence of his kindly feeling toward the mem- 
bers of this board but a few- hours before the 
death summons came, just as he was nearing 
life's clo.se, but a step from the home and loved 
ones on this side into the great unknown be- 
yond, he signified a wish that his earthly re- 
mains be borne to their final resting place by 
his old associates in the bank. A good man has 
gone from among us. I^t us cherish his mem- 
ory and endeavor to profit by the lessons he 
taught us while living — patience, forbearance, 
fortitude and faith. 

'■Resolved, that these resolutions lie spread 
uixm the record book of the bank, and that a 
copy suitably engrossed be forwarded to the 
family." 

While Porter K. Perrin won honors in politi- 
cal life, success in business and esteem at all 
times and under all relations, his Ijest traits of 
character were reserved for his family. He was 
|jre-eminently a man of domestic tastes and the 
relations of his home life were largely ideal. 
On the 2(1 of August. 1866, he was united in 
marriage, in Olivet, Michigan, to Miss Ella M. 
Sessions, a ilaughter of the Rev. Samuel Ses- 
sions, at that time a resident of Olivet. Five 
children were bom unto them, three of whom 
reached adult age: .\rcher Merle Perrin. the 
eldest, now of Detroit ; Inez C. Perrin. who w as 
married .April 30. 1902, to Lieutenant Willis 
B. Day, of the L'nited States Nav}-; and Vive 
Bird Perrin. of Detroit. In 1895 he took up his 




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PAST AND PRESENT OF CTJNTOX COl'XTY. 



13 



which he rt\t;;irilc(l as nut strictly hunorahlc he 
replied that he would dn nuliiin>;' of the kind. 
whereon a fellow schoohnate said, "Henry is 
always so durned honest, we never can do any- 
thing." Again was manifested what was e\cr 
one of his strong traits of character. Ha\-ing 
mastered the elementary brandies of learning 
he continued his studies in Thett'ord .\cademy. 
from which he was graduated about 1850 and 
(hn-ing that time completed the first year's w^ork 
of a college course, so that when he entered 
Dartmouth College he liecame a sophomore. 
Having completed his collegiate course he next 
entered the Albany Law College, from which 
he was in due course of time graduated but he 
left that institution with impaired health. 
Thinking to be benefiteil b\- a change of climate 
he went to Terre Haute. Indiana, where he was 
admitted to the bar. but his health remained 
poor nor did he like the state and these reasons 
led him to come to Michigan. He remained in 
or near Detroit until 1857 and then took up his 
alKide in St. Johns, declaring uix)n his arrival, 
"Here I am going to live and die," and this he 
di<l, spending his remaining days in Clinton 
county. He entered at once upon the active 
practice of his profession and his career at the 
bar has become a part of the history of the 
courts of Clinton county and of Michigan. He 
was an alile lawyer with profound knowledge 
of legal principles and was always correct in 
his application to the points in litigation. He 
never would take the side of a criminal if he 
knew him to be such. He had l)cen a resident 
of the county for only a few years when he 
was chosen and served as probate judge and 
later he was elected to the state senate, enter- 
ing upon the duties of that office on the ist 
of January, 1865. In ])olitics he was a re- 
publican somewhat independent in his views. 
In keeping with the character of the man he 
was always loyal to his honest convictions in 
]K)litical as well as in other relations of life antl 
he was fearless in his championship of any 
cau.se which he espoused. He was, however, 
not aggressive but lal)ored with a quiet per- 
sistency of purpo.se that awakened the respect- 
ful attention of others and often won converts 



to his way of thinking. He held membership 
in the Congregational church and in his college 
days was a member of the .\l])ha Delta Phi 
but otherwise was connected with no fraternal 
organizations. 

On the 1st of May, 1862. Mr. Perrin was 
united in marriage to Miss Mary .Vckley. They 
had two daughters. Lucy Evalina, who was 
born .\ugust 26, 1863, was married, October 
jC). 1887, to Dr. Henry Palmer and they have 
one child, Ruth R. Palmer, born January 18. 
i88g. The second daughter, Ella Luella Per- 
rin. was born .August 7, 1866, and was killed 
in a railroad wreck August 10, 1889. 

.Mr. I'crrin pas.sed away January 7, i8g6, 
and i)erhaps no better testimonial of the life 
work and character of this worthy man can be 
given than in inserting here the resolutions of 
the bar and of the board of supervisors of which 
he was a memlier at the time of his demise. 
The former read as follows, "Resolved, that in 
the departure of our brother we are reminded 
of the uncertainty of life and the certainty of 
death that cometh to us all. It may be in the 
niiirning of our asjiirations, hopes and antici- 
pations, at noon day, or at evening tide at the 
close of a long life. But, if we can, as we near 
the portals of death, feel that our work, like 
that of our departed brother, has been of that 
character which has been flictated by truth, 
justice and honor, we shall be enabled to leave 
a name, as our brother has, that shall commend 
the respect of all who had known us in life. 

"In the death of our brother we feel that the 
bar has lost a congenial, kind, social, true and 
an honoral)le member, whose upright character 
and tirm adherence to what he considered to 
be the right is worthy of imitation. 

"That this community, in the death of our 
brother has lost a good, useful, liljeral and pub- 
lic-spirited man ; that his life in our midst has 
manifested that he possessed that sterling char- 
acter worthy of his New England ancestry. 

"W'e tender to the family of the deceased in 
their deep grief and great sorrow for the loss 
of a most faithful and loving husband, and an 
ever kind and indulgent parent, our sincere 
sympathy and condolence." 



H 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



The resolutions of the Ixiard of supervisors 
read, "W'hereas. It has pleased Divine Provi- 
dence to take from our midst the Hon. Henr}- 
M. Perrin. a former member of the board of 
supervisors of this county ; therefore, we, the 
memliers of tiie present board assembled at the 
courthouse, at St. Johns, hereby express our 
sorrow at the death of our distinguished fellow 
citizen and extend our sympathy and con- 
dolence to the bereaved family ; 

"Whereas, The deceased during his residence 
in this county since 1857 has held many posi- 
tions of trust, hont)r and resixjnsibility and hav- 
ing discharged the duties devolved upon him 
\vith marked fidelity and strictest honesty, and 

■■\\'hereas. As Judge of Probate and guard- 
ian of many infant wards, he was ever zealous 
in protecting" the rights of those under his 
charge, defending them against imposition and 
wrong ; 

"Whereas, As State Senator he legislated for 
the interest of the people and not for any class. 
As a lawyer he was lidiiest, upright and atove 
repmach, always a safe coun.selor; 

"W'hereas, During his long business career, 
he was intrusted with millions of other peo- 
ple's money and lia\ing conducted his business 
relations with his clients \\ith such scrupulous 
care and exactness that he was never suspected 
or charged with misappropriating" a single 
])enny. As a man he was respected and beloved 
b\' all who knew him. and in bis death our 
count}' suffers the loss of one of its best citi- 
zens and the community in which he resided, an 
irreparable loss. Now, therefore, be it 

"Resolved. That the county clerk be and is 
hereby instructed to cause the flag to lie placed 
at half mast u])iin the courthouse, there to re- 
main until after the funeral of Mr. Perrin." 

The funeral services fur Mr. Perrin were 
held in the Methodist church and were con- 
ducted by the Rev. Dr. Butler, who said, "The 
duty of the minister is not very far to seek, nor 
is it very hard when he is called upon to speak 
at such a last gathering as this. 

"He need not be anxious lest his words of 
sorrow at the loss shaJJ be altogether too large 
for the occasion, or his words of hope be quite 



too confident to match the character which he 
portrays. He will not see an ill concealed in- 
credulitv in the faces of those who look at 
him. if he is betrayed by the largeness of his 
own sense of loss into an expression of the 
deepest sorrow that the last word has been 
spoken, and the last hand clasp lieen given. He 
will not need to search long to find something 
good to say, or walk with care lest he may 
stumble in ignorance on that which had best be 
wholly and forever concealed. 

""The central word which I shall speak, a 
score of men have already spoken to me upon 
the street, and this great company are already 
anticipating in their silent hearts. '.\ good 
man is gone.' 1 can not tell you hcjw many 
times I have heard the words. Never, among 
all the funerals at which I have lieen asked to 
speak becoming words, ha\"e I heard more fre- 
quently, or with more heart, that judgment ex- 
[iressed. And it has been with no measure of 
doulit, that I have waited for this hour and no 
anxiety, that I ha\e turned to (kid's holy word 
to find there the lesson which might be most 
becoming to the hour. 

"I find it written in large and easy terms by 
one who knew all the joy. and all the honor, 
and all the enterprise, which a Inisy life, a busy 
city, a busy nation, or a busy world could give 
to one. I find it written by one who had choice 
o\ all the paths which will ever open to one, 
given to bini when he was a N'oung man, and 
who deliberately chose the right when he was 
ytnnig. who ]nu"sued the right when he was ma- 
tured, and who gives, toward the close of his 
busy life, an opinion as to what is worth the 
most, when one stands toward the end and 
looks back to see what life enfolds, and what 
are after all, its choicest gains, and this is what 
he says, ".\ good name is rather to be cho.sen 
than great riches, and lo\-ing favor rather than 
silver and gold." * * * When the issue 
came, as come it frequently does to e\ery man, 
whether in large business or little business, 
whether in the [luljiit or on the farm, the store 
or the street, when he must decide between the 
dollar meanly gained and die good name for 
which the dollar had to be jiaid. you know 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



15 



which he chosc. W hen it was a little more 
money in the haml, nv a little more mercy in 
the act, you know which he preferred. When 
it was a little more to count and leave, or a lit- 
tle more to he left in some poor man's home; a 
finer carpet on his lloor, or a carpet of some sort 
on some jKior widow's floor; when it was a 
hig'her place. Ixiught by a deed which could not 
bear the light, or a clearer conscience, procured 
by sulimission to God's unchanging law of 
right, you know which he chose * * *I kn(jw 
the skies under wliich this man's childhood be- 
gan. I know the granite hills which stand as 
the mountains around Jerusalem around his 
Ixwhood home. I know the ri\er beside which 
his college life was passed and the great hills 
on the one side of its valley and the granite on 
the other side. 

"I know the influences surrounding a pious 
New England home of those days. I know the 
stately hymns they used to sing, and the sturdy 
beliefs inculcated by a fatlier and a mother of 
his boyhood day. The rock without was ex- 
pression of the rock within ; the honest grandeur 
of the hills, if it was allowed to do its work, 
made grandeur in the soul. He was with ac- 
cord in his l)eginnings. He was a straight, 
honest product of the influences into which his 
early life was cast, and ever since one nigiit 
about two years ago. when he met me at the 
station and took me to his home and we learned 
that each had oiiened his baby eyes on the same 
.skies and learned among our first the familiar 
names of the greai hills, I iiave said what you 
have said, what I leave with you as my last 
word, because it is the noblest word, "lie was 
a good man." 



HON. E. V. CH.\SE. 

Hon. E. V. Chase is one f>f tiie representa- 
tive citizens of Clinton county, wiio for many 
years was engaged in the practice of medicine 
and for a long period has been engaged in the 
drug business at Elsie. He has also figured 
prominently in |xiliticai circles and lias re])re- 
sented his district in the state legislature. 



More than a half century has i)assed since he 
arrived in this state, for he took up his alxxle 
in Michigan in 1S31. Not long afterward he 
l)ecame a pioneer physician of Clinton county, 
.arriving here in 1S37. 

Dr. Chase is a n.ativc of Ohio, his birth hav- 
ing occurred in Trumbull county on the i6th 
of September. 1833. His father. John S. 
Chase, was born near Lake Ceorge. New York, 
and was a son of the Rev. Chase, a minister 
of the jjaptist church. John S. Chase was 
reared to manhood in the Em])ire state and 
when a young man went to Ohio, where he was 
married to Miss Cornelia Lenora Beach, who 
was born and reared in Ohio. ]\fr. Chase was 
a wheelwright by trade and followed that busi- 
ness in early life. The year 1851 witnessed his 
arrival in Michigan, at which time he located 
in Shiawassee county, securing a tract of land 
in the tov/n of Owosso. There he cleared and 
imi)roved a farm, whicii he afterward sold and 
renio\-ed to Elsie, where he purchased a saw- 
mill and engaged in the manufacture of lum- 
ber. s])cnding his last years here, his death oc- 
curring about 1878. His wife survived him 
for a number of years and passed away in 
T905. at the ripe old age of ninety years. 

Dr. Chase came to Michigan with his par- 
ents when a >'oung man of about eighteen years 
and assisted in clearing uj) and developing' the 
home farm. Subsef|uently. however, he re- 
turned to Ohio, where he sttidied medicine. 
He pursued his first course of lectures at Mich- 
igan I'niversity at .\nn .\rl)or, but put aside his 
text-b(xiks at the breaking out of the Civil war 
and res]ionded to the country's call for troops, 
enlisting on the 10th of .\ugnst. 1861. as a 
meml)er of Company D. First Michigan Cav- 
alrv. He was promoted from the ranks to 
the ])osition of second lieutenant and later 
first lieutenant. He was then assigtied to 
Company F, but subsequently was transferred to 
Company M. doing to the east he served with 
the .\rmy of the Potomac imder Ceneral Cus- 
ter and j)articipated in a numlier of imix>rtant 
engagements and also in the grand review in 
Washington. D. C. On the same day he was 
ordered to Parkerslnirg. West ^'^i^g^nia. thence 



i6 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



to St. J^juis. Missouri, ami afterward tu I^'orl 
Leavenworth, Kansas. At the last named 
place he received orders to cross the plains and 
went west to Fort Bridger. where the tn)o])s 
went into winter c|uarters. On tiie loth of 
March, 1866, he was mustered out there and 
was honorahly discharged, after which he re- 
turned home, paying his own transportation, 
for the government did not meet the expenses 
of the journey, although he was more than two 
thousand miles awav fmni hemic mi military 
duty. 

\\ hen he again reached Elsie Dr. Chase tuok 
up the practice of medicine and secured an en- 
viable business, his professional service being 
in demand for miles around. He thus con- 
tinued in close connection with the practice of 
medicine and sm^gery until 1880, when he es- 
tablished the drug business that he has now 
conducted for a quiu'ter of a eenturv. He has 
a well eciiu'pped store and is one of the enter- 
prising merchants of his town. 

On the 30th of August, 1857, in Owosso, 
J)r. Chase was married to ^Nliss Emily ]. Wil- 
kinson, a native of Michigan, who was Ixirn 
and reared in Owosso. There were t\vo chil- 
dren bv that union but onlv one is living, Ma- 
bel, the wife of R. X. W'ooley, of Elsie. .\n- 
otber daughter, Ellen, reached womanhood. 
ga\'e her hand in marriage to Harvev .Allen and 
afterwarfl died, leaving two sons, of whom E. 
V. Allen grew to manhood, married and now 
resides in California, while Ross A. Allen is 
living in Idaho. Mrs. \\'ooley has two chil- 
dren, Margaret and Helen. 

Dr. Chase has been a lifelong republican 
and an earnest worker in the party, his efforts 
heing efifectixe in behalf of re]iublican progress 
,and success. He was elected and served as su- 
])er\isor of Du])lain township, has also been 
townshi]! clerk, village clerk and president of 
the village board. In 1876 he was elected ti> 
represent Clinton county in the state legisla- 
ture, where he served so acceptably that in 
1878 he was re-elected. He proved one of the 
active working members of that body, being 
connected with much important constructive 
legislation. He served on the committee on 



public health and numerous other committees 
and discharged his duties with honorable dis- 
tinction. He has been a delegate to numerous 
county and state conventions and n<i trust 
reposed in him has ever been betrayed. Dr. 
Chase is a member of the Masonic fraternity, 
in which he has taken the Master degree. His 
residence in this county covers almost half a 
century and he is one of the few remaining 
old settlers and Ci\il war \eterans. He has 
lived a useful and honorable life and merits the 
confidence and esteem so uniformly accorded 
him. His work has been in a large measure 
benefici.'d to his fellowmen as well as to him- 
self and \\hate\'er success he has achieved is 
due entirely to his own lal)ors, ])ro\ing the 
force and value of efifectixe and earnest effort 
in acti\-c affairs of life. 



GALUSHA PENNELL. 

Galusha Pennell, whose record in business 
and official circles entitles him to representation 
w ilh the leading citizens of St. Johns and Clin- 
ton county, was born in Ridgewav. Orleans 
county, Xew A'ork, January 6, 1845, his parents 
being Orriii (i, and Lorana (Davis) Pennell, 
both of whom were nati\es of the Empire state, 
the former hax-ing been born in Cortland county 
and the latter in Chautauqua county. The pa- 
ternal grandfather. Dr. Ezra Pennell, was a 
physician of Ridgeway, New York, w'here he 
jiracticed I'or many years. The father came to 
Michigan in 1861, establishing his home near 
.\nn Arbor, where he secured a tract of land, 
carrying on farming. Subsequently he sold 
that jjroperty and removed to a farm near De- 
witt, Clinton county, taking u]) his alxide there 
in t868, and making his home thereon until 
his death, which occurred in 1899, when he had 
reached the advanced age of seventy-eight years, 
lie had been married in Orleans county, New 
^'ork, to Miss Tirana Da\is, who passed away 
in 1890. at the age of sixty-eight years. Mr. 
Pennell was active in political circles, served as 
super\-isor of his townshi]) and also represented 




GALUSHA PENNELL. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



his district in the state senate. He was a man 
of strong intellectuality and of keen discern- 
ment, successful in his business affairs and 
wielding a wide influence in public thought and 
action. Moreover his course was ever actuated 
li\- a devotion to the general good and his 
service in office was therefore valuable. Unto 
Mr. and Mrs. Orrin G. Pennell were born three 
sons: (ialusha; Edward, who is living in Ionia, 
Michigan: and Mark, who resides upcjn the 
homestead farm near Dewitt. 

(ialusha Pennell, etlucatcd in the cnnimun 
schools of Orleans county, further continued his 
studies in the University of Michigan, where he 
completed the literary course and was gradu- 
ated with the class of 1868. He then returned 
to the home farm, whereon he liacl been reared, 
and devotetl his energies to agricultural ]iursuits 
until called to pulilic office, lieing elected on the 
democratic ticket to the office of sheriff of Clin- 
ton county in 1874. He served in that position 
for four years and his course was commended 
by all law-abiding citizens. During that period 
he accepted a cashiership in the First National 
Bank of St. Johns, retaining the office for 
twelve years, and he has since lieen financially 
interested in the bank. From 1886 until T890, 
however, he was again in public office, filling 
the position of United States mar.shal under 
President Cleveland, with headquarters at De- 
troit. Throughout this period, however, he re- 
tained his interest in the bank and is now \ice 
president of the institution. This bank has a 
splendid history, being justly regarded as a 
solid, reliable financial concern, and Mr. Pen- 
nell has contributed in no small degree to this 
record. He also figured in Ijanking circles on 
the Pacific coast, having for two years been 
cashier of the Lagrande National Bank, in La- 
grande, Oregon, following his retirement from 
office of United States marshal. He has made 
a number of trips to the coast, being familiar 
with the western country, its business possibili- 
ties and its attractive scenic features. 

In December. 1879, Mr. Pennell was united 
in marriage to Miss Lydia Brinkerhofif, of De- 
witt. a daughter of Dewitt and Juliette Brink- 
erhofif. Mr. Pennell is one of the popular and 



19 

jnominent citizens of St. Johns and is regarded 
as one of its most substantial representatives. 
He is a man of large stature, of social temper- 
ament, kindly manner and considerate disposi- 
tion and the circle of his friends is constantly 
increasing as the circle of his acquaintance is 
extended. He is very prominent in Masonry, 
having attained the thirty-second degree of the 
Scottish Kite in the consistory of Detroit. He 
is also a member of the Mystic Shrine and is 
connected widi all of the local Ma.sonic bodies, 
while for several terms he was eminent com- 
mander of the Knight Templars in St. Johns. 



SAMUEL CUSHMAN. 

Samuel Cushman is one of the active business 
men of Bath, where he is engaged in dealing 
in grain and wool in connection with his son, 
R. E. Cu.shman. under the firm style of Cush- 
man & Son. He was born in Dewitt town- 
ship, Clinton county. October 18. 1852. His 
father, George Cushman, was a prominent agri- 
culturist of this township, casting in his lot 
with the early settlers of the county when it 
])resented a veiy different appearance from the 
present day. I)eing largelv covered with the 
native forests which sheltered various kinds of 
wild game. Only here and there a clearing 
had lieen made and a little cabin erected to 
show that the work of civilization had been in- 
stituted. In this county George Cushman was 
married to Ellen Smith, a daughter of Samuel 
B. Smith, likewise a pioneer resident of the 
county, ciiming to Michigan from New York. 

Samuel Cushman was reared upon his 
father's farm and aided in the work of the 
home place until twenty-six years of age. He 
was then married in the city of Lansing in 
.\ugust. 1879, to Miss Lizzie Everett, a native 
of Michigan, who was Ixirn in Ypsilanti and 
was reared and educated there. She is a gradu- 
ate of the State Xonnal School and for several 
years prior to her marriage capably and suc- 
cessfully followed the profession of teaching. 
The young couple began their domestic life on 



20 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY 



a farm in Bath township, wliere they remained 
for several years. Mr. Ciishman began there 
with fifty-one acres of land and on selling that 
property he removed to Bath, where he turned 
his attention to the purchase and sale of grain 
and wool. He has now been in acti\'e business 
here for the past fifteen years and is one of the 
most progressive business men of the town. 
He has built a large new elevator and ware- 
house at the Michigan Central tracks and there 
conducts his business, his interests furnishing 
an excellent market for the agriculturists and 
.sheep raisers of the locality. 

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Cushnian were torn two 
children, R. E. and Belle. The son, who is 
now in partnership with his father, acquired his 
early education in the schools of Bath and after- 
ward attended the Jackson Commercial College, 
of which he is a graduate of the class of 1902. 
A young man of exemplary habits, of good 
business ability and keen discernment, he is a 
most capable assistant to his father. The daugh- 
ter is engaged in teaching in this county. 

A lifelong republican, Mr. Cushman has 
never sought or desired office but was appointed 
and served as deputy sheriff for a numtjer of 
years. Having spent his entire life in this 
county, covering a period of fifty-two years, he 
has witnessed much of its growth and develop- 
ment and has rejoiced in what has been accom- 
])lished as the region has been reclaimed for the 
liuriwses of civilization and has taken on all of 
tlie improvements, conveniences and equipments 
known to the older and more tliickly settled east. 
His business integrity and worth are matters 
above question and he enjoys the unqualified 
confidence and esteem of the community. 



JOHN HICKS. 



John Hicks, who at the time of his death 
was the oldest merchant in the diT-goods busi- 
ness in St. Johns and the president of the St. 
Johns National Bank, belonged to that class of 
representative American men who while pro- 
moting individual success also advance the gen- 



eral welfare. He contributed in large meas- 
ure to the commercial prosperity, the upbuild- 
ing and the progress of his adopted city, main- 
taining throughout a course of action which 
made his name an honored one. He was born 
in Kingston. West Ontario, Canada, July 7, 
1824. His father, Samuel Hicks, was a na- 
tive of New Jersey, and the grandfather, John 
Hicks, Sr.. was an Englishman and sea cap- 
tain who made voyages to the East Indies. 
I'lventually he located in New Jerse\- where his 
last days were passed. 

Samuel Hicks, also a sailor, was for years a 
captain on the Great Lakes and while thus 
engaged made his headquarters at Toronto. 
For years he had a contract for carrying mail 
between that city and Kingston. He after- 
ward made his home at St. Joseph, Michigan, 
and was captain of a boat sailing between that 
port and Chicago. He was engaged in the 
war of 181 2 and during the McKenzie rebel- 
lion he was implicated with the patriots and 
found it necessary to leave Canada. At that 
time he took up his atode in Detroit and it 
was at a later da\- that he removed to St. Jo- 
seph, Michigan. He marriefl Eunice Bailey, a 
native of Connecticut who belonged to an old 
New England famil\". Tn an early period of 
the settlement of western New York she re- 
moved to Watertown, that state, with her 
lirother who became a prominent business man 
there and it was in Watertown that she gave 
her hand in marriage to Samuel Hicks. 
Her last days were spent in St. Law- 
rence county. New York. Siie reared 
her four children in the faith of the 
Presbyterian church, of which she was a de- 
voted member. Her eldest son, Andrus, died 
in St. Lawrence county. Louisa became the 
wife of O. L. Brooks, for many years a resi- 
dent in Cleveland, Ohio. Marinda M. married 
Ambrose Clow and resided in New Westmin- 
ster. British Columbia, both of whom are now 
deceased. 

John Hicks spent his boyhood days in Canada 
and supplemented the early education of the 
district school by sttidy in Whitney .\cademy. 
His education completed, he began work first 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



21 



on a farm and later became a clerk in a store. 
In the fall of 1849 he traveled by sta.<;e tn 
Toronto, thence by Iniat to Queenstow 11 and 
Chippewa and after visiting' ButYalo he went 
to Detroit. I'inally he located in Dewitt. Clin- 
ton county. Michig'an. where his uncle, the 
Hon. David .Stur<jis, was conducting; a j^ener.-d 
store and also a jurist and saw mill and was at 
that time the most prominent man in the 
county. For a year Mr. I licks acted as book- 
keejier for his uncle and then having demon- 
strated his al)ility and ambition he was admit- 
ted to a partnership and witli his uncle pur- 
chased a stock of goods, estal^lishing a general 
mercantile store, .\fter akxit three years Mr. 
Hicks purchased his uncle's interest and Mr. 
Sturgis then came to St. Johns,, while Mr. 
Hicks continued the business at Dewitt. Such 
was the pioneer condition at the time tliat it 
required a week to haul g(«ids b\' team from 
Detroit and he was obliged to carry on busi- 
ness on what was rather a barter sxstem, ac- 
cepting everything imaginable in exchange for 
his merchandise. Tn the fall of 1836 he dis- 
posed of his store in Dewitt and came to St. 
Johns, where he made his liome continuously 
until his death. Here he resumed i)artnershi]) 
with his uncle and two years later be again 
bought out Mr. Sturgis" interest, continuing 
alone in liis general mercantile venture. As 
the years advanced his business grew in \ol- 
uiue and importance with the growth and de- 
\clopiuent of the countv and in later years he 
conducted an extensive and prot"it;d>le mercan- 
tile enterprise as a dealer in dry goods, car- 
pets and clo.aks. occup\ing two floors of an ex- 
tensive store now- owned and ci>ntrolled by 
liis son, JoItu C Hicks. Tn addition to his in- 
terests in St. Johns Mr. Hicks of this review 
for many years also manag^ed two stores in 
Gratiot county, one at Bridgeville and one at 
Pompeii. 

.\ man of resourceful business ability, read- 
ily recognizing an opportunity and utilizing the 
same for ])uriioses of business advancement. 
Afr. Hicks in the }ear 1858 beg^an buying' grain 
in St. Johns, shipping in bags and barrels the 
first grain that went from this port. Tn t86o 



he built a warehouse in order that he might 
more extensively carry on his operations and 
was connected with the grain trade up to the 
time of his death, lieing the oldest grain mer- 
chant as well as dry-goods merchant in the 
county. In his business he kept pace with the 
jjrogress of the times, introducing all modem 
improvements in his elevator and having the 
largest jilant t'or clearing his wheat and ship- 
l)ing grain of an\' nian in St. Johns. ITe like- 
wise engaged in buying wool and found a 
])vofitable field of labor through his operations 
in land and lumber. Tn the earl\- davs he 
l)ougbt staxes in the Detroit market whicli he 
shipi)ed to Europe. ^Tr. Hicks owned and 
operated a fine f.'U'ui of one hundred and sixty 
acres in h'ssex townshi]) and he had other ex- 
tcnsi\c real-estate interests in Clinton, (iratiot 
and Tsabella counties of this state and in Flor- 
ida, while in Nebraska he owned an extensive 
ranch. His business operations also extended 
to the building line and in this connection he 
contributed in substanti;d measure to the ma- 
terial im])rovement of bis adoi)ted city. He 
was the chairman and the most efficient mem- 
l)er of the building committee that erected the 
courthouse and jail at St. Johns and was also 
on the building conimittee for the construction 
of the schoolhi>use. He erected a number of 
brick buildings here and in connection with R. 
AT. Steel built the three-story brick block which 
is known by their name. These gentlemen like- 
w ise engaged in the manufactiu'e of brick, con- 
ducting a yard at St. Johns for many years. 
.\ctive in other industrial lines ATr. Hicks was 
for several vears proprietor and manager of St. 
Johns foundry and agricultural works. He 
came to Clinton county with a capital of only 
oiie thousand dollars and by strict integrity. 
the exercise of good judgment and unfaltering 
I)crse\erance iii carrying out his well laid plans 
he made a success of everything which he un- 
dertook. His name became an honored one in 
banking circles. for he was one of the organ- 
izers of the St. Johns National Bank in which 
he instituted a safe con.servative policy that 
niade it one of the most reliable financial con- 
cerns of this portion of the state. He acted as 





C^^c 




PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



25 



but disposed of that paper two years later in 
order to enter the United States mail service, in 
which he remained for seven years. On the 
expiration of that period he once more entered 
the journalistic field, forminjif a partnership with 
James S. Defend in the establishment and 
publication of the Jackson Evening Times at 
Jackson, Michigan, but in 1879 he again took 
up his abode in Ovid, where he founded the 
Clinton and Shiawassee Union. He then de- 
voted his undivided attention to the interests of 
his paper until 1886. Mr. Fitzgerald, always 
interested in political questions and very well 
informed upon the issues of the day, had become 
recognized as a leader in local ranks of the re- 
publican party and in 1886 he received the party 
nomination for the office of register of deeds 
of Clinton county, to which he was elected for 
a two years' term, and was later re-elected, 
serving in all four years. Me pro\ed a capable 
incumbent, retiring from the position as he had 
entered it. with the confidence and good will of 
all of his constituents. He has also been a 
member of the local school board for nine years. 
His interest in political questions has never 
abated and he is now efficiently serving as 
mayor of St. Johns. 

Since his retirement from office as register of 
deeds Mr. Fitzgerald has been actively con- 
nected with banking interests and since 1891 
has continuously lieen the cashier of the State 
liank of St. Johns, which is capitalized for fifty 
thousand dollars, with a surplus of over ten 
thousand two hundred dollars rmd undivided 
profits of seven thou.sand fi\e hundred dollars. 
O. W. Munger is now occupying the presidency, 
while f(ir thirteen years Mr. Fitzgerald has been 
cashier. The institution conducts a general 
banking business and ever}- accommodation is 
extended to its patrons consistent with safe 
banking. Manifesting in early life a strong 
purpose, as shown by his military service. Mr. 
Fitzgerald has ever been known as a man of 
firm determination, adhering closely to a course 
which he lelieves to be right or to a definite 
plan of action in the business world and in this 
manner he has ever enjoyed and received the 
ciinfidence and trust of his fellowmen. He was 



the first president of the Business Men's Asso- 
ciation of St. John. 

On the 7th of Octoter, 1868, Mr. Fitz- 
gerald was united in marriage to Miss Ger- 
trude Yerkes, of Northville, Michigan, and to 
them were born four children, namely : Howard 
H., now editor and proprietor of the Daily Flint 
Journal : Harry Y. and Roy C, who are located 
at T,os Angeles, California, and are reporters 
on the Ixis .\ngeles Daily Times; and Maude 
I., the eldest of the family, who is now the wife 
of Charles P. Baker, of the firm of Travis & 
Baker, druggists of St. Johns. The mother of 
these children died June 9, 1898, and in August, 
1900, Mr. Fitzgerald married Mrs. Lena Mar- 
tin, of St. Johns. 



LEVI \V. BALDWIN. 

The history of a county as well as that of a 
state or nation is chiefly the chronicle of the 
lives and the deeds of men who iiavc been 
promoters of business activity and ha\e U])held 
the p<ilitical and legal status of his community. 
The world judges the character of a locality 
1)\- that of its representatives because of the 
genius, learning or virtues of those whose ac- 
tions constitute the record of the county. Mr. 
Baldwin, as one of the representative men of 
St. Johns, has carved out a business career that 
reflects credit upon the community in which he 
li\es and he is therefore justly entitled to men- 
tion in this volume. 

He was born in Jamestown, New York, 
March 29. 1836, and represents an old family 
of Connecticut, his father, William Baldwin, 
had three brothers living in dififerent states. 
The grandfather, Benjamin Baldwin, became a 
resident of the Empire state and died in May- 
ville. New York, at the advanced age of ninety 
years. William Baldwin was horn in Catskill, 
New "S'ork. and having arrived at years of ma- 
turity was married to Jane .^nn Dutcher. a 
native of dranville. New York. For many 
vears after their marriage they lived in the 
Empire state and in T865 came to Michigan, 



26 



PAST AXD PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



settling in the lovvnsiiip of Bengal, Clinton 
county. There he purchased a farm but he 
was a carpenter and joiner by trade antl S(x>n 
afterward settled in St. Johns, wiiere he fol- 
lowed building operations. There his wife 
died and he passed away at llie ripe '>U\ age 
of eighty-six years. 

Levi W. Baldwin was educated in the dis- 
trict union schools in Niagara county, New- 
York, and in the village of Olcott, New York. 
In his youth he learned the carpenter's trade 
and went to I'^ort Wayne, Indiana, where he 
followed that pursuit, while later lie carried on 
building operations in New York and Peoria. 
Illinois. Coming to Clinton county, Michigan, 
he bought eighty acres of land in Bengal town- 
ship in 1S65 and at once began improving thib 
place, of which twentx' acres had already been 
cleared. .After a \ear, however, he went to St. 
Johns, and in 1867 he purchased land in Dallas 
township, after selling his other farm of eighty 
acres. He was then engaged in general agri- 
ailtural pursuits until the ist of January. 
1874, when he bought a stock of hardware 
from J. F. Shraft. at Fowler, continuing the 
same at the original place for two years, dur- 
ing which time he also acted as express agent. 
On the 20th of October, 1877, he formed a 
partnership with J. F. Gary under the firm 
name of Baldwin & Gary, and they built the 
I)resent store of Mr. Baldwin, who later pur- 
chased his partner's interest in the building. 
He has since conducted the business and ;i lib- 
eral iiatronage is accorded him. 

In the fall of i860 Mr. Baldwin was united 
in marriage to Miss Melvina M. Brown, a 
daughter of James Brown, and they have now 
three living children : Etta, the wife of Dr. 
John I*'. McPheron. of Detroit; George T. and 
Jesse F., both of Fowler. They also lost three 
children : Frank, who died at the age of eigh- 
teen years: Herliert; and one, who died in in- 
fancy. 

Politically Mr. Baldwin is a democrat and 
has .served as county treasurer, while in 1870 
he was elected supervisor of his township, con- 
tinuously filling that position until t8(Xi. In 
that year he was chosen to represent his dis- 



trict in the state legislature, where he served 
for one term and after his retirement from that 
office he was re-elected supervisor, in which ca- 
])acity he ser\ed for five years. From 1875 
until i8()(j he was notary^ public. In the dis- 
charge of his political duties he manifests the 
same s])irit of enter^jrise and de\otion to de- 
tail that mark the conduct of his private busi- 
ness interests and ha\e been salient features 
in his success. He has been a member of the 
.Ancient Order of L'm'ted Workmen at Fowler 
since the organization of the lodge in 1878, this 
l;eing the nineteenth lodge established in this 
state. Mr. Baldwin is a self-made man. ow- 
ing his adxancement tri his own lal)ors. There 
are no rules for the building of character and 
no rule for achie\ing success, and a man who 
can rise from the ranks to a leading position 
is he who can see and utilize the iii>])ortunities 
that surround his path. 



PETER H. BANTA. M. D. 

Dr. Peter H. Banta, engaged in the practice 
of medicine ami surgerv at Westphalia, is a 
native of Oxford. Oakland county. Michigan. 
Inrn .\ugust 19, 1874, and is a son of Pendle- 
ton and Carrie (Travis) Banta, the fc^rmer a 
native of New A'ork city, and the latter of 
Oxford. Michigan. The Banta family comes 
of Scotch and German ancestry, while the 
Travis family is of English and German ex- 
traction. Pendleton Banta removed from New 
York to Michigan in i860, settling on a farm 
near Oxford and the last twenty )ears of his 
life has been passed in Lebanon townshi]-). Clin- 
ton county, where he died in 1903. at the age 
of fifty-two years. His widow is still living on 
the olrl home farm near Hubbardston. in 
Lebanon township, the place being alxiut two 
and a half miles east of the \-illage. Mr. 
I'.anta was an enthusiastic supporter of the 
]irohibition party and in his home locality was 
called to the office of justice of the peace. He 
was a member of the .Ancient Order of United 
Workmen and the Knights of the Maccabees, 



PAST AxXi:) PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY 



27 



and was rejjanled as one of the most enter- 
prising agriculturists of Clinton county. He 
was a well educated man and because of his 
ability was frequently c.illed uix>n to draw up 
wills and dee<ls, which he could execute in an 
able manner because nf his fine penmanship 
;nid legal knnw ledge. He was a man of un- 
faltering diligence and his activity proved not 
only a source <if his own success but also made 
him a valued and representative citizen of Clin- 
ton couiity. In the family w ere se\en children : 
Andrew, who is living nn the home lann; Peter 
H.: Carrie, the wife nf Henry Heilner. of 
Howard City, Michigan; Mabel, the wife of 
Par.shal Adams, mail clerk on the (irand Trunk 
Railroad and a resident of Detroit; James, who 
is living in South Dakota; Lois, at home; and 
Martin, of Detroit. 

Dr. Banta, who-e name introduces this re- 
view, attended the common and high schools at 
HubI)ardston and prepared for his profession by 
a four years" course of stndv in the Detroit Col- 
lege of Medicine, which he entered in 1895. 
When war with Spain was inaugurated he went 
to h'lorida with the Thirty-second Regiment of 
Michigan \'olunteers, and on the 4th of July 
was transferred to the regidar army. He was 
engaged in hospital duty in I'lorida and was 
mustered out of service there on the 2Qth of 
January. 1S99, after which he returned to col- 
lege and was graduated w ith the class of ^Lav, 
1900. 

The same mouth Dr. liauta located for prac- 
tice in Westphalia and opened an office. After 
two and a half years he removed to Mancelona, 
Michigan, where he remained for two years and 
returned to \A'esti)halia in July. 1904. He has 
since ]iracticed here with gciod success, being 
accorded a large patronage l)y his fellow towns- 
men who recognize his capability in the line of 
his chosen professit)n. 

On the 19th of September, 1900. Dr. Banta 
was married to Miss I'annie L. Brayton, a 
flaughter of Byron and Emogene (Mu.sel) 
Brayton, of North Plains. Ionia county, Michi- 
gan, l^r. and Mrs. Banta have one daughter. 
Evangeline Lucile. Dr. Banta has been a mem- 
ber of the Masonic fraternity since 1897. be- 



longing to I'uscan lodge. No. 178, .\. !•". & .A. 
.M. lie is likewise connected with the Elks 
lodge. No. 54S. at Ionia. Michigan, with the 
Woodmen ui the World, the Gold Reserve of 
.Mount Pleasant and the Independent Order of 
Odd I'ellows, and in his professional service has 
am])le op]X)rtunity to exemplify the lieneficent 
spirit of these different fraternal organizati(5ns. 
He is a well ecpiipped young practitioner who 
has already attained a position of prominence 
ancl through experience and study he is con- 
tinually broadening his knowledge and promot- 
ing bis efficiency. , 



BENIO.X' SPRACL'E. 

P)enton Spragne, living on .section 27. Vic- 
tor township, is numbered among the pioneer 
settlers who are familiar with the histon*' of 
the county from the period of its earliest de- 
velopment down to the present time. His birth 
occurred in the town of Covington, Genesee 
county. New York, March 19, 1838. His fa- 
ther, Erastus Sprague, was a native of Massa- 
chusetts, born in i8o6. and was a son of Cap- 
tain James Sprague, a native of the old Bay 
state. The Sjirague family is of English lin- 
eage and was established in New England in 
the early period of the colonization of the coun- 
try. Captain James Sprague and his family re- 
moved from Massachusetts to Genesee countv. 
New 'N'ork. where Erastus Spragne was reared 
and married, the lady of his choice 1)eing Miss 
Sarah Sanderson, a native of that state. Mr. 
Sprague became a fanner of Genesee county 
and in 1852 removed to the west, taking up 
his abode in Victor township, Clinton county, 
Michigan. Few were the settlers within its 
borders and the work of improvement and 
progress .seemed scarcely begun. He at first 
entered land from the government and began 
the development of a farm, while later he pur- 
chased other tracts and eventually became the 
ow ner of five hundred and twenty acres of land. 
He cleared a forty-acre tract where his son now 
resides and upon the place there was an old 



28 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



doul>le log house wliich was a wayside inn or 
tavern on the stage road. Mr. Sprague died 
in this county in 1855 ''"^ was for a few years 
survived by liis wife. In their family were 
two sons including Henry Sprague, who is a 
farmer and resides near Grand Island, Ne- 
braska. 

Benton Sprague, tlie other son, was a lad of 
fourteen 3'ears when he came with his parents 
to Clinton countv and he assisted in clearins: 
and de\-elo]Mng the home farm, becoming fa- 
miliar with all the arduous labor incident to 
sucli work. He drove a breaking team of eight 
yoke of oxen, sowed the seed in many a fur- 
row and in due course of time harvested good 
crops. He and his lirother became purchasers 
of the old homestead property and were part- 
ners ffir twenty years, at the end of which time 
they divided their real estate. Benton Sprague 
now owns the old home place of one hundred 
and twenty acres, on which are fine modern im- 
pro\ements and all the accessories needed to 
facilitate farm work according to modern 
ideas. His home is a pleasant residence and 
there is a good barn, a granary and other build- 
ings for the shelter of grain and stock. Mr. 
Sprague also planted an orchard and now has 
a well fenced and neat farm property. 

He was first married in Dewitt township to 
Miss Jane Throppe, a native of Canada. She 
was an invalid for years and died in this countv 
in 1R07. There were four children born of 
that uniim but only one is now living, Ada. the 
wife of Bert Rohrbacher. a prominent farmer 
of Victor township. Mr. Sprague was again 
married in St. Johns in 1898. his second un- 
ion being with Mrs. Lovina Francis, a widow. 
who by her former marriage had one son. 
Howard Francis, who has l^een with Mr. 
S])ragiie from his early youth and for some 
years has assisted him in carr\nng on the farm. 
The present Mrs. Sprague cared for and 
nursed the first wife and after her death she 
gave her hand in marriage to Mr. Sprague. 

Politically ATr. Sprague is a stanch repub- 
lican, giving unfaltering support to the men and 
measures of the party. His time and atten- 
tion, however, have not been divided by the at- 



tractions of office holding but are given to his 
farm work and his place of one hundred and 
twenty acres is a valuable and desirable prop- 
erty. He has resided in this county for fiftv- 
three vears and is therefore numbered anions' 
its leading settlers. He has seen the forests 
cut. has aided in clearing and breaking the land 
and has been the champion of many progres- 
sive measures. Great transformation has been 
wrought until the county to-day bears little 
resemblance to the district to which he entered 
as a pioneer in his boyhood. 



HENRY A. POTTER. 

Henry A. Potter, occupying a prominent 
position in commercial circles in Ovid, with a 
business reputation that any man might be 
proud to possess, is a native of Starkey, Yates 
county. New York, born April 6, 1840, his 
parents being Edward and Sophia (Welter) 
Potter, the former a native of Rhode Island and 
the latter of New Jersey. They became resi- 
dents of New York, however, and Edward Pot- 
ter spent his active business life in the Empire 
state and in Michigan. arri\ing in the latter 
state in 1855. He settled on wild land south 
of Sliei)ardsville. Clinton county, and for. a 
long period was associated with agricultural in- 
terests but is now living in Ovid. His wife 
passed away in 1886. In their family was a 
daughter, .\nielia, now the \\ite of D. F. 
Aldrich. of Ovid. 

Their elder child, Henry A. Potter of this 
review, was educated at Eddytown Seminary in 
New York after completing a common-school 
course. He afterward engaged in teaching 
schdol in 0\-iil. arriving here in 1856. His time 
an<I energies were devoted to educational work 
in the winter seasons while in the summer 
months he was engaged at farm labor, his time 
being thus passed until 1862. when in the month 
of July he responded to his C(^untry"s call, en- 
listing in Company B. Fourth Michigan 
Cavalry. He was mustered in at Detroit, on 
the 28th of .August, 1862, and l)ecame duty 




H. A. POTTER. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



31 



sergeant. He was promoted to orderly ser- 
ge;iiit in 1862 and second lientenant April 6. 
1S63. Nine days later lie was made first lieu- 
tenant and assigned to Companx M. and in 
August, 1864, he was commissioned captain ;uid 
was placed in command of Compruiy II of the 
same regiment. lie was never wounded al- 
though he had his horse shot from under him 
two successive days. His was the regiment that 
captured Jefferson Davis. His prf)motions came 
to him in recognition of his valor and meritori- 
ous conduct on the field of hattle and were also 
indicative of his loyalty to the cause he es- 
poused. He participated in all of the engage- 
ments of his regiment from Stnne river to 
Atlanta and was mustered out at Nashville. 
Tennessee, on the i.st of July, 1865. 

l''ol!owing the close of the war Captain Pot- 
ter returned to Ovid and became connected with 
commercial interests at this ])lace. He secured 
a situation in the store of Pearl & Faxon, but 
the firm dissolved partnership in 1866 and from 
that year until 1871 Mr. Potter was in partner- 
ship with Mr. Faxon under the firm style of 
Faxon & Potter. From 187 1 until 1873 the 
firm was Faxon, Potter & Swarthout and from 
1873 until 1883 was Potter & Swarthout. Mr. 
Potter then purchased his partner's interest hut 
later he sold the business to Mr. Swarthout 
and was engaged in the conduct of a creamery 
from 1884 until 1901. Through the succeed- 
ing year he was engaged in no active business 
enterprise. In 1902 he was connected with C. 
E. Jillson under the firm name of Jillson & Pot- 
ter in the conduct of a mercantile enterprise and 
the following year purchased his partner's in- 
terest and has since contiiuied in the dry-goods 
business alone in Ovid. He is the oldest mer- 
chant in the dry-goods trade in this 
place and has a thoroughly modern 
store, commanding the leading trade of the 
town and surrounding country. He also owns 
a fine residence in Ovid. At times Mr. Potter 
has met with financial reverses but honesty and 
integrity have guided him in all his dealings 
and he is now again conducting a successful 
mercantile enterprise with a large and growing 
patronage. Mr. Potter has also been identified 



with banking interests, having been the presi- 
dent of the First National Bank and also the 
president of the State Bank (jf Ovid until 1905. 
On the 2(\ of December, 1867, occurred the 
marriage of Mr. Potter and Miss Kate E. 
r.ardncr. a daughter of Peleg Gardner, a resi- 
dent of the village of Potter, Yates county. New 
York. The children of this marriage are: Mon- 
roe B. Potter, who was born in 1869 and died 
in 1874: Edward Gardner, who was born in 
.\pril, 1S71, and died in .Vugust of the same 
}ear; and Bertha Louise, who was born in 1876 
and is the wife of Rev. Samuel G. Palmer, of 
the Presbvterian chinxh at LTnif)n Springs, New 
York. 

In his political affiliation Mr. Potter is a .stal- 
wart republican and is a memlier of George A. 
Winans post, G. .\. R., at Ovid, while since 
1S69 he has been a member of Grace Methodist 
E])isco]);d churcli. For many years he has been 
officially connected with the church as steward 
and trustee, and has been superintendent of the 
Sunday-school. On the 19th of May, 1900, he 
was sent as a delegate to the general conference 
held in Chicago. He was chairman of the 
building committee at the time of the erection 
of its present house of worship in 1893 ^nd the 
success that attended this movement is largely 
due to his efforts. He is a man of strong and 
steadfast purpose, always true to his honest con- 
victions and reliable in all life's relations and 
wherever known he has gained the warm 
friendship and high regard of those with whom 
he has been associated. 



EDGAR BURK. 



Edgar Burk, devoting his time and energies 
to general agricultural pursuits on section i. 
Greenbu.sh township, is a native of Ohio, his 
birth having occurred in Fredericktown, Knox 
county, on the 24th of April, 1864. His father, 
William Burk, was a native of Baltimore, 
Maryland, bom in 18 18, and was a son of 
Srpiire Burk, who removed to Ohio about 1828. 
William Burk was reared in the Buckeve state 



32 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



and was there married to Miss Mary Jane 
Huff, also a native of Ohio. For a number 
of years he followed farming in Ohio l)ut in 
1879 came to Michigan, settling in Greenbush 
township, Clinton county. He had first visited 
this section of the state in 1849 ^'^^'^ ^'^'^ P^^""" 
chased land, which he afterward sold. Return- 
ing to the county twenty years later he located 
on a farm, which he began to cultivate and im- 
prove, and he now has a neat and attractive 
place. He has reared his family here and still 
resides upon the old homestead adjoining the 
farm on which bis son Edgar now resides. 

The latter is tlie eldest in a family of ten 
children and aided in improving and developing 
the old home place, remaining there with his 
father until he had attained his majority. He 
acquired bis elementaiy education in the com- 
mon schools and later attended school in Ovid 
and was a student in St. Johns. Big 
Rapids and the Michigan Agricultural Col- 
lege. He then began teaching and for thirteen 
consecutive years followed that profession in 
Clinton and Ionia counties. He was principal 
of the schools of Eureka, also at Hubbardston 
for three years, having four teachers under his 
direction. He was likewise principal of the 
schools of Manhattan, Montana, for a year and 
of Dewitt for two years, while in the period 
of his early connection with educational work 
he was a district school teacher. 

Mr. P)urk was married in Greenbush town- 
ship, June 29, 1897, to Miss Martha E. Beck, 
daughter of John Beck, of Greenbush township, 
who is mentioned elsewhere in this work. Mrs. 
Burk was born, reared and educated here. 
After his marriage Mr. Burk taught school for 
one year and then located on his farm, having 
previously purchased a tract of eighty acres. 
He has since built a good, neat residence and a 
large new bam with big sheds for the shelter 
of grain and stock. He uses the latest impn ived 
machinery in carrying on his farm work and 
has a well improved property. He has planted 
some fruit and his fields are richly cultivated, 
returning to him a gratifying harvest. 

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Burk have been torn two 
children: Clarence and Lucile. Politically Mr. 



Burk is a stanch republican and when twenty- 
one years of age was elected school inspector, in 
which capacity he served for several years. 
Since locating on the farm he has been elected 
supervisor and by re-election has continued in 
the office for six years. He is now serving 
on a numl)er of important committees on the 
board and is chairman of some of the chief com- 
mittees. He has frequently been chosen as a 
delegate to numerous county and state con- 
ventions and is recognized as one of the party 
leaders in his locality, while in office he has 
always been loyal to the public good and has 
contributed in substantial measure to the general 
welfare by the efficient manner in which he 
has discharged his official duties. He and his 
wife are members of the Evangelical church of 
Eureka, take an active interest in its work and 
Mr. Burk is now serving as superintendent of 
the Sunday-school, in which capacity he has 
served for a number of years. His efforts in 
l)ehalf of the school have been far-reaching and 
beneficial. He belongs to Eureka lodge, A. F. 
& .\. M., and is its present master. He has 
also been its representative to the grand lodge 
and belongs to the Woodmen camp, in which he 
has been \enerable consul to the Grange and to 
the b'armers" Club. He has a wide and favor- 
able acquaintance thmughout Clinton county 
and is a man of good Ijusiness ability and ex- 
emplary habits. His efforts have been of ma- 
terial benefit to the county in educational and 
political circles and his name commands respect 
wherexer he is known. 



AniX \V. SKINNER. 



.\'lin \\". Skinner, fonnerly interested in ag- 
ricultural pursuits in Bengal township and now 
serving as county treasurer of Clinton county, 
was Ixirn in Novi, Oakland county, Michigan, 
March 13, 1S57, his parents lieing .\din C. and 
Eliza C\rmstrong) Skinner, the former a na- 
tive of Wayne and the latter of Oakland 
county, Michigan, a fact which indicates that 
in both the paternal and maternal lines he is 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



33 



a representative of pioneer families of this 
state. The father was a farmer by occupation 
and at the time of the Civil war he responded to 
the country's call for troops, enlisting as a 
member of Company I, Twenty-seventh Michi- 
gan Regiment. On the 6th of May, 1864, in 
the battle of the Wilderness, he gave his life in 
defense of the Union cause, being at that time 
only twenty-nine years of age. His widow, 
long surviving him, passed away in 1873, at 
the age of fifty-five years. They were the par- 
ents of three children : Adin W. : Eliza, the 
wife of John Stevens, of Oklahoma ; and Je])- 
tha. of Janesville. Wisconsin. 

Adin W. Skinner pursued his education in 
the public schools, remaining with his mother 
until the home was broken up at the time of 
her death in 1873. He was then a youth of 
sixteen years. Being thrown upon his own re- 
sources he went first to Oakland county, Michi- 
gan, where he remained for ten years and 
thence came to Clinton county. On attaining 
his majority he began farming on his own ac- 
count on a tract of land of eightv acres in Ben- 
gal township. This was in 1887. He still 
owns the land, which has been transformed 
into a good farm, and he continued his agri- 
cultural pursuits until called to public office. 

^fr. Skinner has always been an advocate 
of republican princi]>les. firm and loyal in his 
support of the party. In li^gb he was elected 
supervisor of his township for a term of three 
\ears and was also clerk for two years. In 
1904 he was chosen to the office of county 
treasurer of Clinton county, receiving a major- 
ity of over twelve hundred votes on the repub- 
lican ticket, so that he is the present incumlient 
in that position. 

On the 4th of January, 1877, Mr. Skinner 
was united in marriage to Miss Frances Mur- 
dock, a daughter of John and Margaret 
(Clarke) Murdock, of Oakland county, who 
w-ere natives of New York state. They came 
to ^^ichigan in 1830 and established their home 
in Oakland county. Mr. and Mrs. Skinner are 
well known in St. Johns and their circle of 
friends is constantly growing. He is a member 
of the Maccabees Tent and is a man whose ad- 



vancement in life has been seaired through 
his own etiforts. He has worked his wav up- 
ward from a humble position and whatever 
success or advantages he has enjoyed are at- 
tributable to his own well directed labor. He 
is now proving a capable county official and 
the concensus of public opinion regarding his 
service as comitv treasurer is vcrv favorable. 



FRED C. OPPENLANDER. 

Frefl C. Oppenlander. whose well developed 
farm of one hundred and sixty acres is an 
indication of an active life, characterized by 
unremitting diligence and .sound business judg- 
ment, was bom in Gemiany, December 11, 
1834, his parents Ijeing John and Mary (Stortz) 
Oppenlander, who were likewise nati\'es of that 
countr)-. The father came with his family to 
the United States in 1870, first locating in 
Lansing township. Ingham county. Michigan, 
where he remained for six months. He then 
renio\ed to Dewitt township. Clinton countv, 
where he settled t)n a farm and subsefjuently 
took up his abode on the eastern boundary line 
of Watertown township, where he resided until 
t88i. In that year he removed with his son. 
Fred C. 0])penlander. to the latter's farm and 
resided here until his death, which occurred 
in 1888, when he was sixty-six years of age. 
His wife, surviving him for about a decade, 
passed away in 1898, at the age of seventy-three 
years. 

Fred C. Oppenlander acquired his education 
in the schools of his native country and with 
his parents came to Michigan when fifteen years 
of age. He afterward worked as a farm hand 
by the month for ele\-en years and then desirous 
that his labors should more directly l)enefit him- 
self he rented a fann in Dewitt township for 
two years, .\bout that time he was married 
and in 1881 he purchased his present fami of 
eight)- acres on section 20. in Watertown town- 
ship. He first bought the west eighty acres 
but has added to the original tract until he now 
has a quarter section. He has improved the 



34 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



house In- additions and repairs until it is now 
a comfortable, modern residence and he also 
built a good barn in 1893. T'le farm is well 
fenced, is equipped with modern accessories and 
conveniences and he uses the latest improved 
machinerv in carrying on the work of tiie 
fields. 

On the 8th of November. 188 t. Mr. Oppen- 
lander was married to jSIiss Mary Schray, a 
daughter of Conrad Schray, of Dewitt town- 
ship. Clinton county. They have four chil- 
dren. .\nna. Charles, Alahel and Frank. Mr. 
Oppenlander is a member of tiie Modern Wood- 
men cam]) and his religious faith is indicated 
by his meml)ership in the Methodist Episcopal 
church. In politics he has always been a 
stanch republican and has served as town- 
ship treasurer for two years. In the spring of 
1890 he was elected as supervisor and has 
five times been re-elected to the office, in which 
he is the present inaimbent, acting as chairman 
of the board at this writing in 1905. He exer- 
cises his official prerogatives in support of 
many measures for the general good and his 
efforts have been an effective force in promoting 
public improvement. He is thorough, pro- 
gressive and enterprising both in public life and 
in control of his private business interests. 



REV. JONATHAN E. RICHARDS. 

Rev. Jonathan E. Richards, a distinguished 
divine of the Presbyterian church, well known 
throughout Michigan, was torn near Trenton, 
New York, in 1845. His parents, Lewis and 
Emeline (Camp) Richards, were natives of 
Wales and crossing the .Atlantic in early life 
became residents of the state of New York. 
The father purchased a farm near Trenton and 
became one of the wealthy agriculturists of that 
locality, where both he and his wife spent tlieir 
remaining days. The capaljle management of 
his business interests, his keen discernment and 
unflagging energy proved the basis of his suc- 
cess and made him a wealthy man. 

Rev. Jonathan E. Richards, reared in his 



native count)', began his education in the public 
schools there and afterward attended the Wes- 
leyan University. .Subsequentlv he liecame a 
student in Boston Theological Seminary and 
afterward entered Yale College, thus receiving 
superior educational facilities. Having pre- 
pared for the ministr}- he went to New Haven, 
Connecticut, where he took charge of the 
Methodist Episcopal church, remaining there 
for three years. He then went to St. Johns, 
Michigan, where he accepted the pastorate of 
the Presbyterian church, remaining in charge 
at that place for eight years. Subsequently he 
traveled over the state for several years, de- 
livering lectures and winning wide fame as a 
platform orator. Eventually he settled in Mount 
Clemens, where for three years he was pastor 
of the Presbyterian church. He had been in 
ill health for several years and traveled largely 
in the hope of being benefited thereby. At 
length his health, however, forced him to re- 
sign his pastorate but he continued to make his 
home in Mount Clemens until called to his final 
rest. 

Rev. Richards was married in Fulton, New 
York, to Miss Huldah Loomis. a native of 
that place and a graduate of the Falley Semi- 
nary at Fulton, of the class of 1868. The 
Loomis family were the first to locate at Fulton, 
and Mrs. Richards is a member of the Order of 
Colonial Dames and also the Daughters of the 
American Revolution. She was to her husband 
a most devoted companion and helpmate and 
since his death she has displayed splendid laisi- 
ness and executive force at the same time pos- 
sessing those true womanly traits of character 
that have endeared her to all, while her social 
qualities have made her a leader in society cir- 
cles here. Unto Mr. and ]\Irs. Richards were 
born four children: .Anne, the eldest, a gradu- 
ate of the Michigan University of Ann Arbor, 
is the wife of Harry Coleman, who was also 
a university student and is prominent in literary 
circles in .Ann .Arbor. He is now the owner 
and pulilisher of the Daily Press at Pontiac, 
Michigan, where he and his wife reside. He 
has had several flattering oiTers to return to 
Ann .\rbor and take charge of one of the daily 




J.E.RICHARDS 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



n 



papers here liiit is meetinsj witli orratifyiii.sf suc- 
cess in Pontine and tlicrekire dues not make the 
change. Florence L. Richards, also educated 
in tlie State I'niversity. is now a teacher in tlie 
Shortridt^e liii^h school in Indianapolis, Indiana, 
.'ind the superintendent of that school has spoken 
of her as its liest teacher. Lewis L. is a 
talented musician now studying- in Europe. .\ 
contemiiorar_\- ])ul)lication said of him: "Lewis 
L. Richards, the young- .\mcrican. who has won 
such signal honors ahroad. evinced at an early 
age a remark.alile musical talent, and was en- 
couraged hy several eminent teachers to make 
his life work along musical lines. His early 
musical education was received fmm Mrs. 
Boris L. Ganapol. the Detroit pianist, and he 
later studied with .Mlierto Jonas, while attend- 
ing school in Ann .\rhor. The inspiration and 
guidance of his early studies followed the young 
man through his whole career and culminated 
in 1902 in a trip ahroad. Young Richards ap- 
plied for admission to the private class of De- 
Greef, the great Belgian pianist, and was im- 
mediately accepted and continued to work with 
that great master for one year. DeGreef 
greatly encouraged him to go further, and chose 
him as one of six young men, whom he se- 
lects each year, from a large number of ap- 
plicants, for his class in the Royal Conservatory 
of Music located at Brussels, Belgium. Here 
Richards continued to make such rapid strides 
that at the end of the year, he was the only one 
of his class who successfully passed the rigid 
conservator}^ examinations. In the middle of 
the second year of his conservatory work, on 
a visit of King Leopard to the institution, young 
Richards was presented to his majesty as "one 
of the most gifted pupils" in the great con- 
servatory. At the end of the year — June, 1905, 
- — Richards entered the conservatory contests 
and was awarded by a ]wv\ composed of 
Gaevaert. director of the Brussels conservatory, 
Kozul, director of the conservatory at Roubai.x, 
Ghymers, Potjes. Tinel, etc., the first prize with 
distinction, the first time in the history of that 
institution that an American had captured the 
honor, Mr. Richards returned to Europe in 
September for further study and for concert 
3 



work, he already having a tour arranged for 
Belgium and Holland." Theodore Nelson, the 
youngest member of the Richards family, is 
now a student in the high school of Ann .'Krbor 
and resides with his mother. 

i\ev. Richards dqiarted this life on the ist 
of October, 1893. He was a distinguished 
minister and a prominent citizen of Michigan, 
well known as a lecturer throughout the state. 
His scholarly attainments won him the admira- 
tion of all, while his humanitarian principles 
gained him the love and esteem of his fellow- 
men. He lived f(ir others and his devotion to 
his family was largely ideal. As Mrs. Richards 
intended to make .\nn .\rbor her future home 
she had die remains of her husband takai there 
for interment. It was her desire to have her 
children educated in Michigan University and 
in 1894 she removed from Mount Clemens to 
Ann Arbor and her children continued their 
studies there. Mrs. Richards is very prominent 
in social circles, being recognized as a leader 
by reason of her tact, her kindly disposition, 
her superior culture and her generous hospital- 
ity. Moreover she possesses splendid business 
ability and has made judicious investment of 
her means. She has built several houses and 
has recently erected two nice residences on East 
Huron street, .Ann Arbor, one of which she 
has sold, while the other, at No. 713 East 
Huron street, she and her children now occupy. 
She has ever}- reason to be proud of her family, 
for all have attained distinction in literary or 
professional circles, and the influence of the 
members of the Richards family has ever been 
on the side of intellectual and aesthetic culture. 



WILLIAM L. TALLMAN. 

The Tallman family, of which William L. 
Tallman is a representative, is of Welsh lineage 
and the family was established in New Eng- 
land at an early epoch in the histon,' of the 
new world. Elihu Tallman was a native of 
Connecticut, and in T788 removed to New 
York, where he was married to Miss Lucretia 



38 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



Perkins, a nati\'e of tliat state. The following 
year he went to Pennsylvania. His son. Akins 
E. Tallman, father of our subject, was bom in 
Wayne county, Pennsylvania, in 1810, and 
was reared in that state upon the old home- 
stead farm in the midst of a heavily timbered 
countn,-. He ne\er attended school after eight 
years of age and his educational privileges 
were therefore very- limited but he gained go(xl. 
practical knowledge in the schfX)l of experi- 
ence. 'He remained u])on the home fann until 
he had attained his majority and on the 27th 
of May, 1832, he was united in marriage to 
Miss Samantha Dix, who was of Scotch line- 
age and w as also a native of Pennsylvania. At 
the age of twenty-six years .\kins E. Tallman 
removed to Ohio and in 1854 came to Michi- 
gan, settling in Eagle township, Clinton 
county. He located three hundred and forty- 
four acres of land on section 13, of which two 
hundred and twent\-four acres is now owned 
by his son William L. In all of his business 
affairs he was ])ractical. enterprising and suc- 
cessful. He had been the owner of a farm of 
one hundred and sixty acres in Ohio and after 
his remo\al to Michigan he lived u])on the 
home farm on section 15, Victor township, un- 
til 1883, when he removed to Grand Ledge, 
Michigan. He was a man of marked energy 
and unfaltering determination as is indicated 
b\- the fact that in early life he earned the 
money with which he paid for two hundred and 
forty acres of land in Wayne county, Penn- 
svhania. but he lost this through a defective 
title. Following his arrival in this .■^tate he se- 
cured three hundred and forty-four acres from 
Miles Mansfield on section 15. Eagle township, 
and with characteristic energ}- he Ijegan the cul- 
tivation and improvement of that place. This 
is the homestead farm now owned and ocai- 
pied by our subject, who purchased the interest 
of the other heirs in the property. Akins E. 
Tallman had the distinction of having cleared 
five hundred acres of wild land and thus he 
contributed in substantial measure to the im- 
provement and development of the locality in 
which he resided. He was one of the oldest 
Masons, having been made a member of the 



fraternity in 1866. His death occurred in 
1903. at the age of ninety-two years. He was 
a trustworthy man, giving his attention to his 
own affairs and so directing his labors that as 
the years passed he won a comfortable compe- 
tency. His wife, who was lx>rn in 1812, died 
December 11, 1877. Of the children born of 
that marriage, four are yet living: Jennie, the 
wife of Isaac Stark, of Grand Ledge, Michi- 
gan ; Louisa, the wife of E. F. Brown, of 
Eagle township: Christopher C, who is living 
at North Yamhill, Oregon: and William L.. of 
this review. Those who have passed away are 
Oliver P.. George A\ .. Minerva J.. Alpheus 
W. and Lawson D. .\fter losing his first wife 
the father was again married, his second union 
being with .Sarah Pennington, who died in 
1901. 

William L. Tallman was born in Seneca 
county. Ohio, January 9. 1847, and pursued 
his education in the district schools and in 
the high school of Lansing and of Portland. 
Michigan. Through the summer months he 
assisted in the work of the fields and meadows 
and he continued upon the old homestead farm 
until twenty-five years of age. when he took 
possession of a farm of his own of three hun- 
dred acres, upon which he lived for two years. 
He then S(5ld out and Ix^ught the interests of 
the other heirs in the homestead farm, thus 
becoming owner of two hundred and twenty- 
four acres on section 15, Eagle township. This 
propertv is under a fine state of cultivation at 
the present time. Mr. Tallman has worked 
out his own success by diligence and careful 
management and is to-day one of the prosper- 
ous and prominent agriculturists of Clinton 
county. He is extensively engaged in feeding 
sheep and his stock-raising and farming inter- 
ests are both proving profitable. 

On the 22d of October. 1872. Mr. Tallman 
was united in marriage to Miss Sarah .\dams, 
a daughter of Joseph H. and Hannah Adams. 
of Aul)urn, New York. Their children are: 
Glenn F.. who died November 12, 1886; Grace 
E., the wife of F. S. Byam, of Eagle town.ship: 
!^fatie F., at home: and Molly M., also under 
the parental roof. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



39 



In his political views Mr. Tallmaii is a re- 
publican and has served as school inspector for 
two years. He was also highway commis- 
sioner for four years, has been supervisor of 
Eagle township since 1898 and chairman of 
the board for one year. He has returned to the 
office of supervisor each year with increased 
majorities — a fact which indicates his fidelity 
in office, the tnist rejxjsed in him and his per- 
sonal popularit\' with his fellownien. He is 
especially interested in the welfare and prog- 
ress of the community and his co-operation 
can be counted ujxmi to further any movement 
for the public good. He belongs to (^irand 
Ledge lodge. No. 79, A. F. & .\. M.. with 
which he has affiliated since twenty-one years 
of age and he is also a member of the Grange. 
In his farm work he is enterprising and in- 
dustrious, making the most of his opiwrtuni- 
ties and is meeting with creditable success. 



WARREN SMITH BARNARD. 

Warren Smith Rarnard. editor and puljlisher 
of the Maple Rapids Dispatch of Maple 
Rapids, Clinton county, was born April 
17. 1876. in Delta township. Eaton 
county. Michigan. His parents were .\ll)ert 
D. and Nellie (Neflf) Barnard. The 
father fullowcd the occupation of farming un- 
til 1883. when he engaged in luniljering, while 
later he turned his attention to merchandi.sing. 
which he followed uj) to the time of his death 
in December. 1894. His widow still survives 
and makes her home in Durand. Michigan. 
Daniel Barnar'd. .the grandfather of our sub- 
ject, was well known in Eaton county and vi- 
cinity as a Methodist exhorter. By occupation 
he was a fanner and for many years he owned 
and cidtivated a tract of land near Delta .Mills. 
Eaton county, where his death ocairred about 
1873. The grandparents on both sides were 
natives of New York. 

W. S. Barnard attended the district schools 
between the ages of seven and nine years, sub- 
sequent to which time he continued his educa- 



tion in ALipIe Rapids and in Durand, but left 
school after reaching the ninth grade. At that 
time he became a printer's apprentice and later 
accei)ted a clerkship in a clothing store, but 
the printing trade had stronger attractions for 
him and he soon returned to that business, 
with which he has been connected in one or 
more departments to the present time. He was 
three years of age when his parents removed 
to l'"ulton township, Gratiot county, Michigan, 
and in T883 his father sold his farm there and 
took up his abode at a lumbering camp on the 
county line between Lake and Newaygo coun- 
ties, where he resided for about a \ear. The 
ne.xt home of the family was at Maple Rapids, 
where the father became identified with the 
lumbering firm of Jones. Barnard & Company, 
and in the fall of 1890 the company established 
a sawmill and oar factor}' at Durand. t(T which 
place the Barnard family then remo\ed. Mr. 
Barnard of this review attended .school in Dur- 
and for two or three years hut he disliked 
study and was attracted to the printer's trade, 
to which he gave all of his spare time, working 
at nights after sch(^)l and on Saturdays for 
the pleasure that it afforded him. .Vfter several 
years spent in the office of the Durand Express 
he left home for the first time and went to 
Laingsburg. where he obtained a situation in 
a printing office. Subse(|uently he entered the 
office of the now defunct North Lansing Record 
and in .\pril. 1897. at the age of twenty-one 
years, as.sumed control of the Maple Rapids 
Dispatch, which he has since published with 
the exceptif^n of a few months spent in a job 
office in .St. Paul. Minnesota, during the win- 
ter of TQOI. 

On the 24th of November. 1898. at Maple 
Rapids. Mr. Barnard was married to Mi.ss 
Daisy M. Hooker, the eldest daughter of 
Charles and .Alvaretta Hooker. She was a com- 
positor in his office at the time and is now as- 
sociated with her husband in business. Mr. 
Barnard is a meml>er of the Knights of the 
Maccabees, with which he has affiliated for 
the past three years, and he is also a member 
of the Brotherhood of Andrew and Philip. He 
is a man of rather a retiring disposition, en- 



40 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



tirely free from ostentation and disliking pub- 
licity, but in his business career he has dis- 
played qualities that lead to success and have 
made him a capable editor in the publication 
of the Maple Rapids Dispatcli. 



JUDGE SHERMAN B. DABOLL. 

Judge Sherman B. Daboll, a practitioner at 
the Clinton county bar residing at St. Johns, 
was born on the i8th of May, 1844, in Nassau, 
New York, a son of George W. and Lydia 
(James) Daboll. The ancestry- both in the 
lineal and collateral lines and on the paternal 
and maternal sides is distinctively American as 
far back as it can be traced and both die father 
and mother were descended from soldiers of 
the Revolutionary war. George W. Daboll was 
a farmer, teacher and miller, closely associated 
with the industrial and intellectual progress of 
his community. 

Sherman B. Daboll pursued his education in 
the common schools of Rensselaer and Madison 
counties, New York, and in Brookfield 
Academy at Brookfield, New York. When he 
was nine years of age the home was broken up 
owing to the failure of the mother's health and 
from that time forward Mr. Daboll made his 
own way in the world, working on farms 
through the summer months and attending 
school in the winter seasons until fourteen years 
of age. Pie then removed from Stephentown, 
New York, to Brookfield. where he was 
similarly employed until his enlistment for 
service in the Civil war on the 28th of July, 
1862, as a member of Company G, One Hun- 
dred and Seventeenth Regiment of New York 
Infantry, which he joined at Clayville. He 
served first as private and afterward as cor- 
poral and continued with his regiment until the 
close of hostilities, being on duty with the 
Army of the Potomac and the Army of the 
James. He was at Charleston Harbor during 
the siege of Forts Wagner and Sumter and par- 
ticipated in the campaign of Cold Harbor and 
the sieges of Petersburg and Richmond. He 



was also with the army at Drury's Bluflf and 
Bermuda Hundred and was with both expedi- 
tions to Fort Fisher, North Carolina. His regi- 
ment — the One Hundred and Seventeenth New 
York — was attached to the First Brigade of the 
Second Division of the Tenth Army Corps, 
leading the assault on that fort on the 15th of 
January, 1865, which resulted in its capture, 
both parties being in the fort fighting for its 
possession for seven hours. By reason of the 
close of the war Mr. Daboll was honorably dis- 
charged from the army June 8, 1865. He had 
Ijeen wounded in the right forearm July 4, 
1864, by a piece of shell from a battery near 
Petersburg. \'irginia. while in the siege works 
outside the city. It was feared that he would 
ha\e to lose his arm but it was finally saved. 

Following the close of the war Mr. Daboll 
took up the study of law in Brookfield, New 
York, and aftenvard continued as a student in 
the law office of Bennett & .\ylesworth at New 
Berlin, Chenango county. New York. His 
reading was followed by his admission to the 
bar on the i8th of November, 1868. and he 
located for practice at Brookfield, where he re- 
mained until 1878. He made consecutive 
progress there in his practice and in 1874 w-as 
elected district attorney of Madison county, 
which i)()sition he filled for three years. He 
entered upon the practice of law in St. Johns, 
Michigan, in the spring of 1879 in company 
with Anthony Cook and has since been con- 
nected with the courts in this part of the state, 
engaging in general practice. Military and 
judicial honors have been accorded him. He 
was appointed quartermaster general of the 
militia of Michigan by Governor Cyrus G. 
Luce in January, 1886, and was re-appointed in 
Januar}', 1888. In August, 1888, he received 
appointment from Governor Luce to the posi- 
tion of judge of the twenty-ninth judicial cir- 
cuit of Michigan and was elected the next spring 
to the same office for the unexpired term of 
three and a half years. On the expiration of 
that period he w-as elected for the further term 
of six years, thus serving for ten and a half 
years as circuit judge, his course upon the 
bench being distinguished by fairness and im- 




S. B. DA BOLL. 



PASr AXl) TRIiSluN'T OF CLINTON C-OUNTY. 



43 



partiality and a masterful grasp of the various 
judicial problems presented for solution. In 
the convention for another nomination there 
was a deadlock lasting ten days and the con- 
vention closed without nominating. On the 
1st of January, 1901, his term expired and he 
retired from the office and on the 15th of May 
following he was appointed a special agent of 
the postal service, a position which he still 
holds. 

Judge UaboU was married, August 19, 1869. 
at Xew i^erlin. New York, to Miss Elizabeth 
Campbell, whu is descended on her father's 
side from the clan Campbell of Scotland and on 
her nidther's side from Go\-ernor William 
I'.radfnrd. (loverudr i>\ the Plymouth colony by 
his second marriage, being a descendant (if the 
eldest son, Major William Bradford. Mrs. 
Daboll is a representative of the Bradford fam- 
ily in the seventh gcncratinn. Judge naboll has 
Init line child, a daughter. Winifred t'ampbell 
I)al)cill. born .*>eptember 29, 1873. She is a 
graduate of the Michigan University at .\nn 
Arbor, having comiilcted the literary course, 
winning the degrees of .\. I'>. .uid M. .\. 

l'"olI()wing his return from tlie^^wir Juikje 
Daboll became a member of the '4- jXyorT I'glW 
and he belongs to the Ancient Order of United 
Workmen and the Ma.sonic fraternity, in which 
he has attained the Knight Templar degree. 
lie is a communicant of the Protestant Episco- 
pal church and has always been a republican in 
politics, in former years taking an active part in 
every campaign and addressing large audiences 
upon poliiic;d themes in various parts of the 
state^*,^^ ^..^^^ .,6i^ 

1:1,1 J. \ II W. COBB. 

b:iij;ih W. Cobb, of Elsie, is one of the few 
remaining early settlers of Clinton count}'. He 
was long known as a prominent farmer .uid 
business man of varied interests, but is now 
living retired from the more active labors and 
duties of farm life. Me took up his residence 
in Duijlain township in early pioneer days, 
ha\ing maile his home in this part of the state 



since 1844. His birth occurred in the town of 
Bennington. Wyoming county. New York, 
June 18. 18J9. lie is a son of Joshua Cobb 
.ind a bnjther of Lyman Cobb. The father 
was reared in New York and was married there 
to Miss .\nna Doty. He followed agricultural 
pursuits in the Empire state and at a later date 
came with his family to the west, settling in 
Michigan upon the land where his son now re- 
sides. It was then a tract of unbroken forest 
and he cut down the trees, cleared away the 
stumps and brush and in due course of time 
opened up a good farm, on which he spent his 
remaining days, his death occurring on the 2d 
of May, 1852. He donated the land for ceme- 
tery^ purposes and his grave was the first one 
made in Elsie cemeterj^ His wife survived him 
for nearly thirty years and passed away in 
August, 1882. 

Elijah \\\ Cobb was reared mider the pa- 
rental roof and assisted in clearing up the farm 
that he now owns, hax'ing one hundred acres of 
rich and valuable land at the present time. He 
built a large residence and barn there and de- 
veloped the place as it is to-day. In all that he 
undertakes he is resolute and determined and 
never falters before he has reached successful 
accompli.shment. .\t one time he was engaged 
in merchandising at Elsie, becoming owner of 
;i gcKid hardware, implement and grocery busi- 
ness, which he conducted for a number of years. 

In Howell, Livingston county, Michigan, 
Mr. Cobb was married on the 14th of Novem- 
ber, 1855, to Miss Ann Sickles, a native of 
P.-dmvra, Wayne county. New 'S'ork, bom May 
19, 1 83 1. Her father, John F. Sickles, was 
likewise a native of the Empire state but was 
born in Saratoga county. He was reared in 
Palmyra and was married there to Miss Betsy 
Smalley, a native of New York. Like her hus- 
band siie was born in 1792. Mr. Sickles was 
a fanner of Wayne county, where he resided 
until 1836, when he removed to Wayne county. 
Michigan, settling near Detroit, where he pur- 
chasecl a farm, upon which he reared his fam- 
ily. He died there in 1839. Mrs. Cobb was 
educated at Xorthvillc Acideniy and at Ypsi- 
lanti Normal School and later she engaged in 



44 



PAST WD PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



teaching for some years, following that pro- 
fession for several years prior to her marriage. 
Mr. and Mrs. Cobb have a son who is yet liv- 
ing. Arthnr E. Cobb, who is a farmer now 
residing on the old family homestead in this 
county. He is married and has three chil- 
dren : William Cobb, who is an operator at 
Henrietta. Michigan ; Francis, a student in 
Alma College; and Anna, the wife of Fred 
Jarvis, of Ovid. Mr. and Mrs. Cobb also have 
educated rind reared rm adopted daughter. 
Grace, who is now the wife of John Seltering- 
ton, of Hamilton. Gratiot county. Michigan. 
The)' also lost tiiree children: William S.. who 
died at the age of eight years; Gertnide. about 
fourteen months old ; and Agnes, an infant. 

In his political views Mr. Cobb has been a 
lifelong supporter of the republican party, giv- 
ing unfaltering allegiance to its men and 
measures. He .served as town treasurer for 
some years and was also postmaster for several 
years but has never l)een an active politician in 
the sense of office seeking. He and his wife are 
members of the Baptist church and Mr. Cobb 
belongs to the iMasonic fraternity, while he and 
his wife are affiliated with the Eastern Star 
lodge. He has always been a busy and useful 
man and has assisted in improving Elsie and 
Clinton ciiunty. Known as a man of tried in- 
tegrity and worth, he enjoys the confidence and 
esteem of all with whom he has been brought in 
contact and as a pioneer resident of this locality' 
certainlv deserves mention in this volume. 



DEAN W. KELLEY. 



Dean \\". Kelley. possessing inherent force 
of character, strong and determined purpose 
which enabled liim to acquire an education in 
the face of difficulties and is now the source of 
his adxancement at the bar. is one of the 
younger representatives of the legal fraternity 
and yet his powers do not seem limited by his 
years. He was l«rn July ii. 1876, in Osceola 
cnuntv and is a son of Samuel and Minnie 



( Hagadone) Kelley. the fonner a native of 
Clinton county and the latter of Mecosta county, 
Michigan. Both are residents of Evart. the 
father being a representative farmer of his lo- 
calitv. while some years ago he was a successful 
lumberman. The Kelleys came originally from 
Ontario, while die Hagadone family was es- 
tablished in Pennsylvania at an early day and 
was represented in the Revolutionary war. 

Dean W. Kelley spent his youth upon his 
father's farm in Osceola county, improving the 
advantages afforded by the public schools and 
when sixteen years of age he was qualified for 
teaching, a profession which he followed at 
interval for a number of years. As his labors 
brought sufficient capital to meet the expense of 
a higher educational Course he attended the 
E\-art high school at intervals and was gradu- 
ated therefrom with the class of 1896, com- 
pleting the work of the junior and senior years 
in one year. Subsequently he attended the State 
Normal College at Ypsilanti. Michigan, from 
which he was graduated in 1899. He is truly 
a self-educated man, as he provided the funds 
for tuition and other expenses of his college 
course. His scholarship and personal popularity 
are indicaterl by the fact that he was chosen 
president of liis class in both the junior and 
senior years, was president of the Athenaeum, 
the literary society of the college, for three 
terms, was a member of the debating team 
which defeated Albion College in 1899. and 
won the oratorical medal in 1898. 

Mr. Kelley's choice of a profession fell upon 
the law and his honors in debate and oraton,' 
would seem that he had qualifications that would 
well fit him for work at the bar. In 1900 he 
entered the law department of the University of 
Michigan, but his collegiate course was not con- 
tinuous, as in 1901 he came to St. Johns to ac- 
cejit the position of instructor in Engli.sh and 
ci\ics in the high school, where he continued 
teaching for two years. He resigned in 1902. 
however, in order to take the state bar exami- 
nation, which he successfully passed with a 
creditable record. He then opened his law 
office in St. Tohns. where he has since practiced 
with a constantly growing clientage, his busi- 




i<Jl^^...^-^^vl^ 




PAST AXl) l'Kl';SENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



47 



ness increasing yearly Ixith in volume and im- 
portance. 

Mr. Kelley is recognizefl as one of the lead- 
ers among the younger advocates of the 
democracy. He is a student of the questions 
of the day, thoroughly infomied concerning the 
great political principles which are working for 
the weal or woe of the nation. He is not. bit- 
terly partisan and yet he stands finn in support 
of his convictions. Only once has he been a 
candidate for office, having in T904 received his 
party's nomination for prosecuting attorney, at 
which time he made a phenomenal race. He 
won the entire party's supix^rt and many of the 
votes which usually go to the republican can- 
didates, for he was defeated by an extremely 
small majority and he carried his home city of 
St. Johns by one hundred and fifty. His study 
of the signs of the times has led him to be- 
come a su])|>)rter of the present presidential ad- 
ministralinn. 

On the J5th of December, 1901, Mr. Kelley 
was married to Miss Tburza Mae Judd, a 
daughter of George H. Judd, a pioneer of St. 
Johns, and the}' have one daughter, Gwendolyn 
J. Mr. Kelley's jxisition .socially and profes- 
sionally is the outcome of personal worth, his 
advancement at the bar resulting from close 
application, laudable aml)ition and untiring de- 
votion to his clients' interests. 



lACOJ". 1-. SIIKAI-'T 



Jacob F. Shraft. for years one of the active 
business men and leading citizens of h'owler. 
who has figined not only in industrial and com- 
mercial circles but also in political life in Clin- 
ton county, was born in Livingston county, 
Michigan, !\Tay 17, 1837. His father, Jacob 
Shraft, Sr., was a native of Gennany and was 
there reare<l and educated. Following his 
marriage he enngrated to the new world, be- 
coming a resident of Livingston county. Michi- 
gan, in 1830, when this commonwealth was 
still under territorial rule. He later remo\ed 
to Wavne countx", where he located on a farm 



that continued t<> be bis home throughout iiis 
remaining days. 

Jacob V. Shraft of this review largely spent 
his youth in Detroit, living there between the 
age of seven and eighteen years. After 
putting aside his te.xt-books he learned the car- 
penter's and joiner's trade and in 1857 be came 
to Clinton county and was em])loved at car- 
]:)entering in Clinton and Ionia counties for 
a number of \ears. being connected with the 
building of a number of leading structures 
in this part of the state. He was also engageil 
in buying .and dealing in staves for nine years 
and in 1866 he bought out a general mercan- 
tile business in I'owler and subse(|uently 
started a hardware store, fie continued as one 
of the acti\'e and entcr])rising merchants of the 
\'illage until i8()3, covering a ])eriod of twentv- 
seven years, during which time a lil)eral i)at- 
riMiage was accorded him. He made a close 
study of the needs and wishes of the public 
and by his earnest desire to please his patrons 
and bis fair and honorable dealing built up a 
business which in extent and importance made 
his trade ven" profitable. 

Tn the midst of an active mercantile enter- 
prise Air. Shraft also found time to serve in 
|X)sitions of public trust. In 1874 he was elected 
register of deeds and filled the office for one 
term. Tn 1882 he was chosen county clerk 
and has served as township clerk since 1866, 
being the present efficient officer. He has like- 
wise been village clerk for ten years and in all 
these different positions he has proved capable 
and loyal, discharging his duties with prompt- 
ness and fidelity. 

Mr. Shraft was married in Detroit to Miss 
Marv F. Davenport, who was reared in Dallas 
township, Clinton county. She died May 12, 
1803. leaving a son, Giarles E. Shraft, who is 
now pursuing a course in civil engineering. 

Mr. Shraft is a prominent member of St. 
Johns lodge, .-\. F. & A. M.. also of the chap- 
ter and commandery there, and has thus at- 
tained the Knight Templar degree of the York 
rite. He is also a member of the .\ncient Or- 
der of United Workmen, a fraternal insurance 
organization. For a half century he has wit- 



48 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



nessed the growth and development of Clinton 
county and is widely known throughout his 
community as a man of Inisiness integrity and 
worth who owes his advancement not to any 
fortunate combination of circumstances but to 
his close application and diligence and in an 
active business career he has found that unre- 
mitting industry will solve the jiroblem of Imw 
tn win success. 



ros\\i:ll c. dexter. 

Roswell C. Dexter, who frir sixteen A'ears 
has I>een connected with the First National 
Bank of St. Johns, occujiying the ])<)sition of 
cashier for two years, was born in Greenbush, 
Michigan, October 16. 1859. His father, 
Chauncey Dexter, was a native of New York 
and at an early period in the settlement of 
Michigan came to this county, establishing his 
home in Greenbush. He married Miss 'T.^•dia 
Bronghan, who was born in Ohio, and bdth 
ha\e now passed awa_\', the father's death ha\- 
ing occurred in 1886, when he was fiftv-three 
years of age, while his wife died when their son 
Roswell was only nine years of age. Having 
come to the west, Chauncey Dexter secured a 
tract of land and lived the quiet life of a 
farmer. Tn his family were two sons and a 
daughter: Roswell (". : Man-, now deceased: 
and Burr, wlui is li\-ing u]i(in the homestead 
farm at Greenbush. 

Roswell C. Dexter is indebted to the com- 
mon schools for the early educational advan- 
tages which he enjoyed and later he had the 
privilege of attending the Albion College, at 
.\lbion. Michigan, for two years, completing 
his course there in 1882. He then came to St. 
Johns, Michigan, to enter upon his business 
career and secured a ])Osition as bookkeeper in 
the First National Bank. His capability and 
fidelity, however, won him recognition in suc- 
cessive promotions and he was made teller and 
afterward assistant cashier, acting in the latter 
capacity for sixteen years, wiicn in April. 
TO03. he was cho.seti cashier. Tn 188^ the name 



of the institution on the expiration of the old 
charter was changed to St. Johns National 
Bank. The Clinton County Savings Bank was 
organized out of this bank in 1S89 and it is 
the largest bank of this character in the countv. 
l)eing devoted to savings and investments. Mr. 
Dexter is also financially interested in that in- 
stitution. He is a man of much practical ex- 
perience, conservative in his views, of sound 
judgment and unquestioned integrity, and the 
prominent ])osition which he occupies to-da\' in 
business circles in St. Johns is the merited re- 
ward of his earnest application, ability and 
fidelity. 

In 1886 occurred the marriage of I\oswell 
C. Dexter and Miss Jennie D. Davies, a daugh- 
ter of William T. and Jenette M. (Levey) Day- 
ies, of Greenbush. They have two children. 
Florence J. and Robert C, and the social prom- 
inence of the family is that which is obtained 
where intellect, culture and true worth are re- 
ceived as the passports into good society. Mr. 
Dexter is a prominent member of the various 
Masonic Iwdies of St. Johns, belonging to the 
lodge, chapter and council, and he also holds 
membership with Detroit commandery and the 
^lystic Shrine. \'iewed in a personal light be 
is a strong man. strong in his ability to ]>lan 
and perform, strong in lu's honor and has a 
oood nrune. 



AMl'.S HOL'CIITO.X'. 



Bath townshi]! finds a wortlu' representati\'e 
of its farming interests in James Houghton, 
whose realty holdings include eightv acres on 
sections 1 and \J. He was born in Oakland 
county, this state. May t_'. 1838. His father. 
Da niel Hough trni, was a native of \Vrmont/^ 
and sjient the days of his childhood and \-ontli 
in New England but when a young man re- 
moved from the Green Mountain state to Al- 
bany. New York, in which city he was married 
to Miss Lydia Cutler, a native of New York. Tn 
the }ear 1834 Mr. Houghton came to the mid- 
dle west attracted 1)\- the oi)p, irtunities which 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



49 



he believed Michigan offered to settlers. He 
located in Oakland county, where he entered 
one hundred and sixty acres of land that was 
still in its primitive condition Imt he at once 
liegan to clear away the timber and in the 
course of time the sunlight flooded the fields 
and rich harvests were exentually gathered as 
a reward for the spring planling. I le raised 
his family upon that farm and mailc it his 
home until his life's labors were endeil in dealh 
in 1S69. His wife survix'ed him for about 
twenty-two years. 

James Houghton, one of a family of three 
sons and one daughter, was reared upon the 
old homestead in Oakland county and did his 
full share in clearing the fields and carrving on 
the work of the farm, his ])ractical experience 
in youth enabling him to carefully direct his 
own farming interests in later years. He had 
fair common-school advantages and has al- 
ways added to his knowledge by observation, 
reading and cx])erience. thus keeping in touch 
with the world's ])rogress. 

On the 2d of January, i860, Mr, Iloughloii 
was united in marriage in his native count) 
to Miss Mary E. Tillapaugh, who was also lK)rn 
in Oakland county, Michigan. Following his 
marriage Mr. Houghton carried on farming 
in Oakland county for a nuiul)er f)f years but 
thought that a removal to Clinto-i countv 
might prove advantageous and in 1875 he 
bought a place on section 12. Bath township. 
Here he l^egan the further developiuent and 
improvement of the land and erected a neat 
and sulistantial residence, also good outbuild- 
ings. There he carried on farming until 
iSqi. when he purchased his ])resent home on 
section i. Bath township. 

^Tr. Houghton was again married in this 
township on the 4th of November. 1892. to a 
widow. Mrs. Julia Brown, a native of the state 
of New Ynvk and a daughter of Eleazer Cross, 
of the Empire state, who became one of the 
early settlers of Michigan. In New York he 
had married Mariet Day and their daughter, 
Mrs. Houghton, was reared in this state. She 
first gave her hand in marriage to Ross Brown, 
who was born in Lenawee county. Michigan. 



and who settled on a farm on section 13, Bath 
township, this county, where he died Decem- 
ber 14. 18S4. There were three children by 
that marriage: William, Elmer and Cory 
IJrown. Mr. Houghton had four sons by his 
lirst luarriage: Daniel, John, William and 
James, all of whom are now married, three l>e- 
ing residents of Chicago. 

In his ])olitical views .\lr. I loughton was 
formerly a democrat but now endorses repub- 
lican principles and votes for the men and 
measures of the part}'. His attention, how- 
ever, has l)een concentrated upon his business 
interests, which ha\e been an appreciable fac- 
tor i'l winning liini success. 



HERBERT X. SWANEY. M. D. 

Dr. Herbert X. Swaney. engaged in the 
l)ractice of medicine at Eagle, is a native of 
Crawford county. Pennsylvania, liorn Decem- 
ber 19, 1858, liis ])arents being Hugh J. and 
Juliette (Groger) Swaney. the former a native 
of Pennsylvania, and the latter of New York. 
They largely spent their lives in Crawford 
county and both have now passed awav. The 
father was a valiant soldier of the Civil war. 
serving in Company I. of the Eighty-third 
Pennsylvania Infantry and was wounded at 
the battle of Fair Oaks. He was descended 
from Irish ancestry, while his wife was of 
Scotch lineage. In their family were onlv two 
children but .Mbert, the elder, died in infancy. 

Herbert N. Swaney began his education in 
the district schools of his native town and 
afterward attended the State Normal School 
at Edinboro, Pennsylvania, and .Allegheny 
College at Meadville. Pennsylvania. Subse- 
quently he entered the University of Pennsyl- 
vania at Philadelphia in 1881 and was gradu- 
ated with the class of 1885, having completed 
a course of medicine in that institution. He 
added to his theoretical knowledge the prac- 
tical training of one year's experience in the 
Jew ish hospital at Philadelphia, after which he 
opened an office for practice at Crossingville, 



50 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



Crawford count}-. He speiil the succeeding 
two years in his native state and in the spring 
of 1888 came to Eagle, Clinton county, where 
he has since engaged in practice with the ex- 
ception of the year 1894. wlien he was a stu- 
dent in the Pliiladel])liia Polyclinic and College 
for Graduates in .Medicine, completing his 
course there on the 2r)th of J.muary. 1895. He 
thus greatly iirouKited his efficiency and he h;is 
further added to his knowledge hv study 'uid 
investigation, keei)ing in touch with the ad- 
vance of thought of the profession as the }-ears 
have gone In-. He has gi\-en his attention to 
general practice in Eagle township and has 
been unusually successful, the consensus of 
l)ublic opinion regarding his skill as extremely 
favorable and a lilieral patronage is accorded 
him. He belongs to the .American Medical 
Association and practices along modern sci- 
entific lines that bring desired results. 

Dr. Swaney was married in 1887. to Aliss 
Jessie M. Davis, a daughter of James and Eliz- 
abeth Davis, of Crossingville, Pennsylvania. 
She died in 1890, and on the 25th of April, 
1894. Dr. Swaney was married to Miss Nettie 
L. Alexander, a daughter of Hon. Sidney and 
Mar\- (Van Slyke) -Mexander. The}- have one 
child, Bruce Alexander. Dr. and Mrs. Swa- 
ney have a wide and fa\-orable acquaintance in 
this part of the state and enjoy in large meas- 
ure the friend.shi]) of those with whom they 
have been brought in contact. He is identified 
with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows 
but his attention is chiefly given to his profes- 
sional duties, w-herein his labors Jiave been of 
marked value to his fellowmen as well as a 
source of gratifying income to himself. 



SAMUEL E. GILL AM. M. D. 

Dr. Samuel E. Gillam is a successful phvsi- 
cian and surgeon of St. Johns who for mmn- 
years has enjoyed a large and lucrative i^ractice 
here. His grandfather. John Gillam. a native 
of Ontario, Canada, removed from the Do- 
minion to the state of New ^'ork and was mar- 



ried near Palmyra, after which lie came to 
Michigan in 1833, settling in Ingham county as 
one of its pioneer residents. He secured new 
;nid unbroken land in White Oak township and 
in the midst of the green woods built a log 
cabin around which he clearer! and developed 
;i farm of two hundred .-uid twenty acres. Pos- 
sessing Considerable mechanical ingenuity and 
ha\-ing been traine<l along these lines he built a 
blacksmith shop and worked at his trade in 
connection with the jjrosecution of his agricul- 
tiu"d interests. He dieil at the age of fifty-five 
years, while his wife passed away in Fowler- 
ville, Michigan, in r866, at the ad\-anced age 
of eightv-seven years. She belonged to the 
L\erett family of New York and her brother, 
Siunuel E\-erett, was one of the contractors and 
builders of the Erie canal. 

George W. ( iillam. a .son of John Gillam, was 
born ;it Orch'u-d Creek, near Palmyra, New 
A'ork, and was a young lad when brought by 
his parents to Michigan, where he was reared 
upon the home farm. He learned the black- 
smith's trade under the direction of his father, 
whom he also assisted in the w-ork of the fields, 
and when he had attained his majority he locat- 
ed in Plainfield, where he conducted a shop un- 
til 1867. He then removed to Elsie, Michigan, 
and later to Fowler, where he engaged in gen- 
eral merchandising. Subsequently he took up 
his abode in Ovid, where he continued business 
.-IS a general merchant until 1889. In that year 
he sold out and came to St. Johns, retiring from 
active business pursuits. He has teen promi- 
nent in the Methodist Episcopal church and as 
the promoter of moral developnient has gained 
special prominence, his efforts being untiring in 
behalf of religious work. He married Miss 
Margaret Turner, a native of Ontario, Canada, 
and a daughter of John Turner, who was a na- 
tive of Scotland and was educated for the Pres- 
byterian ministry. Crossing the .Atlantic to the 
new world he located in Canada and subse- 
quently came to Michigan, where he united with 
the Methodist Episcopal church. He was then 
pastor of different congregations of that de- 
nomination in Michigan, in Indiana and in 
Illinois, and his btst days were spent in Illinois. 




DR. S. E. GILLAM. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



53 



His wife bore the family name of Boise and 
was I)orn in Ireland. Her father was the 
founder of a plant fur the manufacture of linen 
goods at Montreal. Canada, and was a very 
prominent citizen there. The family name in 
early generations was spelled Du Boise, and 
undoubtedly the ancestors many generations ago 
were from l'"rance. Dr. Gillam (if this review 
is the eldest of the three children of Mr. and 
Mrs. George W. Gillam. his sister licing Mrs. 
Anna E. Doolittle, of Qwasso, Michigan, and 
Bertie, who died in infancy. 

Dr. Gillam. horn in White Oak township. 
Ingham counlv. Michigan, April 26. 1843. was 
reared in J'iainfield. Livingston county, from 
the age of eleven years. He was afforded good 
educational privileges and his love of study sup- 
plementing an apt mind enabled him to enter 
the .Michigan State Normal School at Ypsilanti 
when about Infteen years of age. He remained 
a student there for two years. Following the 
completion of his literary education he engaged 
in teaching for several years, being a repre- 
.sentative of that profession in both the district 
and graded schools. From his youth he was 
desirous of studying medicine and at the age of 
eighteen he began reading in the office of Dr. 
P. L. Schuyler, of Iosco, Michigan. He did not 
abandon his laljors as a teacher, however, dur- 
ing this time but pursued his stuches in connec- 
tion with his work in the schoolra^m until 1866, 
when he matriculated in the medical department 
of the University of Michigan, working his 
way through that institution. He was gradu- 
ated in 1869 with the degree of Doctor of 
Medicine, and at once entered upon practice in 
Elsie. Clinton county, where he remained until 
1877, when he went to New York for a clinical 
course in the Bellevue Hospital Medical College, 
from which he was graduated in March, 1878. 

Returning to Elsie, Dr. Gillam practiced at 
that place until 1879, ^vhen he oiiened an office 
in St. Johns and in the years that have since 
come and gone he has built up a large practice, 
winning a reputation that places him in the front 
ranks of die medical fraternity. His growing 
practice made it desirable that he have a partner 
and in 1904 he admitted Dr. Walter M. Scott 



to a partnership under the firm .style of Gillam 
& Scott. He has l)een surgeon of the Detroit, 
Grand Haven & Milwaukee Railroad for many 
years, has been president of the United States 
board of pension examiners of St. Johns, be- 
ginning in 18S6. and since 1873 he has been con- 
nected w ith the State Medical Society. He has 
also been ])resident of the Clinton County Medi- 
cal Society, which he assisted in organizing. Of 
late years he has devoted a great deal of his 
time to both abdominal and genend surgery, and 
his .skill as an operator has given him a reputa- 
tion as a surgeon seldom attained by a man in 
a small city. 

On die 2(1 of April, iS^jJ. Dr. Gillam was 
married to Miss Rose A. Finch, a native of 
Williams county. Ohio, and a daughter of 
Peter l-'inch, one of the early settlers of Clinton 
county. She was a well educated lady of natural 
culture and refinement and was a successful 
teacher prior to her marriage. Her death oc- 
curred January 14, 1905. Dr. Gillam has a 
fine pro])erty in .St. Johns and owns real estate 
in various places. He belongs to the Masonic 
fraternity, connected with the lodge, chapter and 
comniandcry, and is also identified with other 
fraternal organizations. Calling forth all his 
latent powers and energies in the acquirement 
of an education, he prepared for his profession 
in the face of obstacles which would have de- 
terred many a man of less resolute spirit but 
which seemed to serve him as an impetus for 
renewed effort. Consecutive advancement has 
marked his entire professional career whether 
in the .schoolroom or in the practice of medicine 
and surgery and he stands to-day as one of the 
oldest and most honored physicians of St. Johns, 
having an extensive practice which is the mer- 
ited tribute of his skill and is an indication of 
the confidence reijosed in him by the general 
public. 



F. B. SMITH. 



!•". B. Smith, residing on section 34, Victor 
township, has a large circle of wann friends 
bv whom he is familiarlv called Frank. He 



54 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



owns and operates a farm of one hundred and 
fort}' acres which in its neat and attractive ap- 
pearance is indicative of his careful supervision. 
He was born in Lenawee county, Michigan. 
.■\pril 17. 1862. and is a son of Peter Smith, 
who was born in Germany, November 2, 1830, 
and was reared to manhood there. When a 
young man of nineteen years he came to the 
new world, first locating in New York. This 
was in 1849 and he resided in the Empire state 
for four or five years, after which he came to 
Michigan in 1854. He lived in Wayne county 
for a few years, following farming near De- 
troit, and later took up his abode in Lenawee 
county, where he met and married Miss Louisa 
Fisher, a native of England and a daughter of 
James Fisher, one of the early .settlers of 
I^nawee county. Mr. Smith was a farmer of 
Lenawee county for a number of years and in 
t866 removed to Clinton county, locating in 
Bath township, where he still owns and con- 
ducts a farm. 

F. B. Smith was reared to manhood in the 
county of his nativity and is indebted to the 
common-school system of Bath township for the 
educational privileges he received. Li the 
months of summer he aided in the tilling of the 
soil and the care of the crops but in early man- 
hood began learning the trade of a carpenter and 
joiner, which he followed for a few years. Sub- 
sequent to his marriage, however, he resumed 
fanning in Bath township, where he remained 
for two years, and in 1890 he purchased forty- 
five acres where he now resides. This he ]x- 
gan to develop and improve and as the years 
have gone by and prosperity has attended his 
efforts he has extended the boundaries of his 
farm until he now owns one hundred and fort}' 
acres all in one body. Tie likewise owns a 
tract of twenty acres elsewhere. He has re- 
cently completed an attractive residence, built in 
modern style of architecture and tastefully 
furnished. In the rear is a good basement 
barn and windpump, together with other equip- 
ments which indicate the owner to be thor- 
oughly in touch with modern business methods 
along agricultural lines. The farm is well 
fenced and divided into fields of convenient size 



and there is an excellent orchard which vields 
its fruits in season. 

Mr. Smith was married in Bath township, 
October 24. 1888, to Miss Nettie Harris, a 
daughter of Abram Harris, who is mentioned 
elsewhere in this volume. Thev have three sons, 
Earl T., \Vard A. and Hewitt M. Mr. Smith 
holds membership in the Masonic lodge at 
Laingsburg and has also taken the Royal Arch 
degree, while both he and his wife are mem- 
bers of the Eastern Star. His political al- 
legiance is given to the democracy and he has 
ser\-ed as highway commissioner for two terms 
and for a long period has been a meml^er of 
the school board, doing effective service in be- 
half of public education. When he started out 
in life for himself he was a poor man empty- 
handed and without capital, but his own labor 
and enterprise have stood him in place of in- 
herited fortune or the assistance of influential 
friends and he is now a prosperous agriculturist 
of Victor township, whose good business ability 
and successful accomplishment inspire the con- 
fidence and awaken the admiration of all who 
know aught of his business career. 



CLARK A. PUTT. 



Clark A. Putt, formerly identified with the 
commercial interests of St. Johns and now fill- 
ing the ofiice of county clerk, is a native of 
Tuscarawas county, Ohio, born January 12, 
1866. His parents, Charles and Mary E. 
rShanower) Putt, were both of German lineage 
and nati\es of Ohio. The father, now in the 
railroad employ, l^ecame a resident of Green- 
bush township, Clinton county, in 1877, and 
.settled upon a farm. Later, however, he en- 
tered the service of the Toledo & Ann Arbor 
Railway Company, with which he is still con- 
nected. His wife is also living and they are 
parents of two sons, the younger being Carlos 
W. Putt, a practicing dentist of Bellaire, 
Michigan. 

Soon after die birth of Clark A. Putt his 
parents removed to the state of Iowa, and when 



I 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



55 



he was eleven years of age took up tlieir abode 
upon a farm in Greenhush township, this 
county. He was therefore reared in this part 
of the state, sj^ending his boyliood days in the 
usual manner of farm lads who assist in the 
lalxirs of the fields when not occupied with the 
duties of the .schoolroom. His education was 
C(ini])leteil in the high school of St. Johns. He 
came to this city in 1884. and believing that 
he would find commercial pursuits more con- 
genial than agricultural life he turned his at- 
tention to tlie grocery business, becoming a 
clerk in the employ of W^arren & Bundy. with 
whom he continued in that capacity for three 
years. In the meantime, through the careful 
husbanding of his resources, he had acquired 
capital sufficient to enable him to engage in 
business on his own account and in 1887 he be- 
came a grocer of St. Johns, forming a part- 
nership with James B. Henderson unrler the 
firm name of Henderson & Putt. That rela- 
tion was maintained for three years, when the 
firm of Putt & Davis was organized with 
Roljert Davis as the junior partner. These 
gentlemen carried on business together until 
1901. when Mr. Putt Ixiught out his partner 
and became sole proprietor. He added a stock 
of shoes to his stock and carried on both de- 
partments of the business until July, 1904, 
when he retired. 

In the meantime Mr. Putt had been a can- 
didate for public office, being the choice of the 
republican party for the position of county 
clerk. He received no opposition at the pri- 
maries and was elected by popular suffrage in 
the fall of 1904. He succeeded Edward C. 
McKee in that i>~isition January i, 1905, and 
has performed the duties of the office with the 
same promptness, systematic methods and 
fidelity which he manifested in the control of 
his private business interests. 

On the 14th of May, 1888, Mr. Putt was 
united in marriage to Miss Linnie J. Eaegle. 
a daughter of David L. Eaegle, of Greenhush 
township. They have three children, Zelma, 
Fennimore E. and Kathrv'n, and they also lost 
two children in infancy. Mr. Putt is master 
of St. Johns lodge, No. 105. A. F. & A. M., 
4 



and has memljership relations with the Wood- 
men of the World, the Maccabees, the Modem 
Woodmen of America and the Methodist 
Episcopal church. In the field of political life 
and commercial activity he has won local dis- 
tinction and is to-day numbered among the 
leading, influential and honored citizens of St. 
Johns, where Ijoth his iniblic and private career 
have won him the deserved and unlx)unded con- 
fidence of his fcllowmen. 



W 11. LIS -McLOUTH. 



Willis McLouth is one of the active and en- 
terprising farmers, stock-raisers and capable 
business men of Clinton county. He lives in 
Dewitt and owns and o[)crates one hundred 
and sixty acres of land adjoining the village. 
He was born in Riley township, this county, 
September 30, 1S56. His father, Newton Mc- 
Louth. was born in New York state in 1826 
and came to the west with his father. Squire 
Mcl-outh. alxnit 1829 or 1830, the family home 
being established in Lenawee county, where 
Xewton McLouth was reared to manhood. 
He wedded Emily Hathaway and about 1852 
they came to Clinton county, Mr. McLouth 
])urchasing a farm near Dewitt in Riley town- 
ship. He then gave his attention to the further 
cultivation and improvement of the i)lace for 
some time but eventually sold out and removed 
to Dewitt township, where he lx)ught a farm 
which be cnlti\ated for a number of years. He 
then sold and bought where his son now re- 
sides. He built a good residence, a substan- 
tial barn and made other valuable impro\'e- 
ments and upon that farm he reared his family 
and s])ent his last days, passing away in Janu- 
ary, 1894. His wife still survives him. 

Willis McLouth, the only son and his fa- 
ther's heir, was reared upon the home farm, 
acquired a common-school education and was 
trained to all the labors that fall to the lot of 
the agriculturist. He continued to work with 
his father until the latter's death and in fact 
some years before his demise had entire charge 



56 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



of the home place. He has since bought an- 
other farm in Dewitt township of one hundred 
and seventy-two acres and has another tract 
of one hundred and sixty acres which is well 
improved but he now rents both of these farms, 
giving his attention, however, to a propert}- 
of one hundred and sixty acres adjoining the 
village. He is a partner here in a general mer- 
cantile business, being associated with Homer 
Brazee under the firm style of Brazee & Com- 
pau}-. 

In October. 1881, Mr. McLouth was mar- 
ried to Miss Josie Holmes, a native of Clinton 
county, who was reared and educated here and 
further continued her school life in Lansing 
subsequent to completing the high-school 
course. She engaged in teaching for several 
years prior to her marriage. LTnto them have 
been born two children : Florence Merle, who 
is a gradtiate of Albion College : and Helen 
Lucile. 

Politically Mr. McLouth is independent, 
casting his ballot for the candidates whom he 
regards as best qualified for office. He was 
elected and served as township clerk for two 
terms and has also lieen township treasurer 
and member of the school board at Dewitt. 
His wife is a member nf the Methodist Epis- 
copal church and he contributes to its support. 
Fraternally he is connected w itli tlie blue lodge 
of Masons, in which he has served as treasurer. 
and lioth he and his wife are identified with 
the Order of the Eastern Star. He is one of 
the prosperous farmers of the county, a man 
of good business ability, and is widely and fa- 
vorablv known in this section of the state. 



JAMES HARVEY GUNNISON. 

James Harvey Gunnison, interested in general 
farming and stock-raising, his home being on 
section 14, Dewitt township, and constituting a 
well improved and valuable tract of land at Gun- 
nisonville, is one of the native sons of Clinton 
county and is said to have been the second 
white child bom within its borders. His birth 



occurred May 21, 1837, and he is of the seventh 
generation in direct descent from Hugh Gun- 
nison, who was bom in Sweden about 1610 and 
came to America prior to 1631, settling in New 
Hampshire. He traces his ancestry from Hugh 
through Elihu first. Elihu second. Joseph, Wil- 
liam and Elihu, third, who was the father of our 
subject. The grandfather had twenty-two chil- 
dren. The father, Elihu Gunnison, was a na- 
tive of New Hampshire and was bom at New- 
lierry in 1803. He came to the west when a 
young man during the territorial days of Michi- 
gan and was married in Washtenaw county to 
Ruth Anne Pryer, who was a native of Erie 
county. New York, and a daughter of Hum- 
phrey Pryer. whose birth occurred in England. 
Following his marriage Elihu Gunnison 
located in Livingston county, where he 
opened up a farm upon which he re- 
sided for a few years. In 1833 he 
removed to Clinton count)', where he entered 
one hundred and sixty acres of land and took up 
his abode thereon in the following year. No 
roads had been laid out and he had to mark 
trees to guide him on his way from Dewitt. 
Sain the sound of his ax awakened the echoes 
in the forest as one after another the trees fell 
before his sturdy strokes. Thus he cleared the 
land and Ijuilt thereon a log house, in which 
he resided for a number of years. Later he 
bought more land until he owned about one 
thousand acres and as time passed by he re- 
placed his primitive pioneer buildings by mod- 
ern and substantial structures and improvements, 
becoming oue of the prosperous, prominent, in- 
tluential and well known farmers of the county. 
Here he sjient his remaining days, his labors 
contributing in substantial measure to the wel- 
fare and progress of this part of the state, and 
he passed away on the old family homestead. 
September 2y. 1877. when seventy-four years 
of age. His wife survived him for a number 
of years and departed this life in 1895, at. the 
ripe old age of eighty years. 

James H. Gunnison is one of a family of five 
sons and three daughters, all of whom arrived 
at years of maturity. He spent his youth upon 
the old home fann, being reared amid pioneer 




JAMKS H. GUNNISON. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



59 



surroundings and was educated in tlie State 
Normal School at Ypsilanti, in which he spent 
three terms after completing his district-schtx)l 
course. When he had arri\ed at mature years 
he also spent two years in the .\gricultural Col- 
lege at Lansing and was thus well equipi^ed for 
life's practical and responsihle duties, gaining in 
the last named institution a knowledge of the 
scientific methods of farming which have 
proven of much value to him in his work. He 
and his brothers and sisters have all been teach- 
ers and thus have aided largely in the intellectual 
development of the county. James H. (junni- 
son followed the teacher's profession in Illinois, 
being employed for two terms near Galesburg. 
and for several terms he was also a teacher in 
this county. Subsequently he returned to the 
farm, purcha.sed the interest of the other heirs 
in the old homestead and thus succeedetl to its 
ownership. 

On tlie 29th of .Septeml)er. 1864. Mr. Gunni- 
son was married U< Miss Celia 1'. South worth. 
a native of Michigan, who died in i<S88. leav- 
ing a daugliter. In 1S93 in Xew Albany, Indi- 
ana. Mr. (runnison wedded Miss Catherine R. 
Hutton. a niece of his hrst wife, and she was 
Iiorn. reared and educated in Xew .Albany and 
became a teacher in a business college there. 
There are two children by this union. The 
daughter by the first marriage is Hallie C. now 
the wife of Dr. Harry Gregory, of Newberry. 
Luce county, Michigan. The two children of 
the second marriage are Cleland J. and \' ita K. 

Mr. Gunnison took possession of the old 
home farm in T862. He has since erected a 
substantial residence and a good barn with liase- 
ment. also other good outbuildings and now has 
altogether a neat and well improved place. In 
his ])olitical views he was formerlv a democrat 
but now votes with the prohibition party, being 
a stanch advocate of the cause of temperance. 
He was elect e<l and .served as commissioner of 
highways and has been a delegate to the county 
and state conventions of the democracy. He and 
his wife hold meiuliershi]) in the Methoclist 
Episcopal church at (junnisonvillc, in which he 
has served as an officer, l)eing president of the 
board of trustees and also steward. He is a 



memljer of the Masonic fraternity, affiliated 
with the blue lodge at Lansing, and he is like- 
wise a niemljer of the Grange, in which he has 
tilled various offices. His worth is widely ac- 
knowledged and his business and executive 
force are the strong elements in what has 
proved a successful career as an agriculturist. 



WILLIAM j. WllITLOCK. 

W illirmi J. \\ hillock, who has made many 
improvements upon his farm on section 28, 
Greenbush township, where he owns and oper- 
ates a valuable tract of one hundred acres, was 
born on the adjoining section — 27, — April 28, 
1849. his ])arenis being Orange and Phebe )/ 
.\nn (Hiscock) \Vhit_lock. The father was a 
native of X'ermont and arrived in Clinton 
county in 1838. at which time he ])urchased 
from the government one hundred and si.xty 
acres of land on sections 2~ and 28. Green- 
bush townshi]). .\'o clearing had been made 
in the townshi]) at that early date and Mr. 
Whitl<>ck maintained his residence in Ypsilanti 
until 1847 but devoted the winter months to 
clearing a\\a\' the timber and otherwise im- 
l)roving the farm. In that \ear he took up 
his abode u\^m his land, living in a log shanty 
while he cmtinued to clear and ojjerate the 
land. His nearest market was Owosso, to^ 
which he traveled over roads so Ijad that it 
was necessary at times for him to unload his 
grain and carry it over the marshy places, after 
which he would get his team and wagon over 
and then load his grain again. When he even- 
tually reached market he received but fifty 
cents per bushel for his wheat and this sum 
he found necessar}- to pay for provisions. In 
fact many |)rovisions were very high and he 
ga\-e from four to four and a half dollars per 
barrel for salt. He owned one of the first span 
of horses in the locality. He was very pros- 
lierous in all that he undertook, carrying on his 
work along practical and progressive lines, 
and he added to the original farm two tracts 
of eightv acres e;ich. both of which adjoined 



6o 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



the home place. He was a public-spirited luau 
and did much to open up the country, to build 
roads and bridges, and otherwise carry for- 
ward the work of general improvement. He 
was elected to go before the state legislature 
and ask for an appropriation for the state road 
which is one mile west of his farm. In 1847 
he was elected justice of the peace, which of- 
fice he filled for fifty-one consecutive years 
with the exception of one term. During that 
time he married several couples who are now 
numbered among the old residents of the 
county. In 1845 ^^''- Whitlock was united in 
marriage to Miss Phehe Ann Hiscock, a 
daughter of Isaac Hiscock. of Ypsilanti. and 
a relative of United States Senator Hiscock of 
New York. She belonged to one of the i>ld 
pioneer families of Washtenaw county and in 
their later years her parents made their home 
with her until their death, the father passing 
away in 1849, while his wife died in 1867. 
Unto Mr. and Airs. Whitlock were l)orn three 
children : Orange, who is living on section 22, 
Greenbush townshi]); William J.; and Mrs. 
John Whitside. who is living on the old home- 
stead. The father died April 7. 1895. '^'^'^l 
thus was removed from the township a l(i\'al 
and much respected citizen. His wife jiassed 
away October 16, 1897. 

William J- AN hitlnck was educated in the 
district schools and has always lived on his 
l)resent farm, which is a part of the old home- 
stead, with the e.NCeption of seven years, dur- 
ing which time he resided in Bengal township 
from 1883 until t886 and then remo\-ed to St. 
Johns, where he remained until i8qo. Tn the 
latter year he returned to the farm, where he 
has since made many improvements in both 
the erection of houses and also in the cultiva- 
tion of the land. 

Mr. Whitlock was first married December 
18, 1879, to Miss Delia J. Kneeland. a daughter 
of Benjamin Kneeland. of Bengal township. 
I'nto this marriage were b<irn four children : 
Althea. bom September 29. t88o: Burt 
K.. born December 14, 1882: Earl O.. 
bom July 9. 1886: and Catherine. l)om Janu- 
ary 16. 1889, all living with an uncle in Ben- 



gal township. The wife and mother died De- 
cember 12, 1890, and William J. Whitlock 
was married, December 21, 1892, to Olive F. 
Smiley, a daughter of Benjamin F. Smiley, of 
(ireenliush township, who was born in Ohio 
but came to Clinton county in 188 1, settling 
on his present farm, where he lived until his 
death in September, 1895. He left a widow 
and one son who are upon the old homestead 
and his daughter. Mrs. Whitlock. 

Like his father. William J. Whitlock has al- 
ways taken an active and helpful interest in 
public matters and was for two terms town- 
ship constable and likewise a member of the 
district schof)l board of district Xo. I for three 
years. He formerly lielonged to the Keystone 
( irange. of which he was master until the sur- 
render of its charter. His brother, O. A. 
Whitlock. has also been prominent in political 
circles ;uid in 1896 was chosen an elector to 
the national democratic convention at St. 
Louis. Missouri, where \\\ J. Bryan was nom- 
inated for the jiresidenc}-. Mr. Whitlock of 
this re\iew has fraternal relations with St. 
Johns lodge. Ik. P.. Loyal Guard lodge. No. 
42. of St. Johns, of which he is recorder and 
the Royal .\merican lodge of St. Johns. He 
h;is resided almost continuously throughout 
bis life upon the farm which is yet his home 
and the splendid appearance of the property 
indicates his carefid supervision and well di- 
rected labors. 



ROBERT M. STEEL. 



Robert M. Steel, deceased, is numbered 
among the real promoters and upbuilders of the 
commonwealth of Michigan. Tlie growth of 
a state de]>cnds not upon its machinery of 
go\emment nor upon its institutions, but 
u])on the character ;uid labors of the 
individual citizens and the sum total of 
individual efifort produces an effect that works 
for good or ill in the locality. Robert M. .Steel 
wrought along modern business lines, liecoming 
one of the prominent railroad builders and con- 




ROBERT M. STEEL. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



63 



tractors of tlie state and liis work was of ut- 
most value in the iiiiproxement and advance- 
ment of Michigan. 

Mr. Steel was of Scotch parentage, his direct 
ancestors coming to .\merica in iS^.^o. 'Hicx- 
settled in N'ermDUt. where his father. William 
Steel, engaged in contracting and building, and 
it was in Craftshury, that state, that Robert M. 
Steel was born. October 21. 1833. He accjuired 
an academic education in \'ennont. and after 
having obtained a thorough training as carpen- 
ter and joiner under the direction of his father. 
he went to Toronto, Canada, at the time he at- 
tained his majority and was employed as a time- 
keeper on the (irand Trunk Railroad. Two 
months later he was appointed foreman on the 
part of the road being built between Toronto 
and Sarnia, acting in that capacity f(jr fifteen 
months, on the expiration of which time he was 
admitted to a partnership by his former em- 
ployers, Messrs. Hayden & Ross, who had 
taken a contract to lay the superstructure of 
the Detroit & Milwaukee Railroad. 

.Accordingly in 1856 Mr. Steel removed to 
St. Johns as the point most convenient in which 
to carrj- on his operations, which contract was 
completed in the fall of 1858. The next year 
he t(K)k a contract for the building of the Grand 
Trunk Railroad from Detroit to Port Huron 
and at the same time was interested with W. A. 
Stearn & Company in the building of a rail- 
road from Three Rivers, Canada, to .\rtha- 
Ija.ska, a distance of thirty-eight miles, both con- 
tracts being completed in Deceml)er. 1859. In 
September, 1862. Mr. Steel, with his former 
partner, Mr. Ross, entered into a contract under 
the hrm name of Ross, Steel & Company to 
build three hundred and sixty miles of the 
Kansas Pacific Railroad. The firm had one 
hundre<l miles erected and twenty-five miles 
graded when the company disposed of its fran- 
chise to Samuel llallet and J. C. Fremont. Mr. 
Steel then entered into partnership with Messrs. 
Ellithoriie & Adams under the firm style of Elli- 
thorpe, Adams & Steel and was engaged in 
building bridges, etc., for the city of I^eaven- 
worth. He subsequently rebuilt the Hannibal 
& St. Joseph Railroad, which work claimed his 



• ittention until December, 1869. In 1867 he 
had made an indixidual contract with James F. 
Joy to liuild the accreti(jns for the Union depot 
for the Burlington & Missouri River and the 
Chicago. P)urlington & Quincy Railroads, at 
Iiurlington. Iowa. He completed this contract 
in the fall of 1868. keeping a force of workmen 
bus)- night and day. In 1870 he contracted for 
the building of ninety miles of the St. Louis & 
Southeastern Railway, which was completed in 
November. 1871. and the next January- he se- 
cured the contract for the building of the Cairo 
& Vincennes Railroad through two counties, a 
distance of one hundred and sixty-eight miles, 
with its culverts and bridges — a work which he 
completed within twelve montljs. In 1873 he 
contracted to build the sui)erstructure of forty 
miles of the Paducah & Memphis Railroad, 
which was completed in thirty-five days. In 
May. 1875. Ceorge Mason, of Toronto, 
Canada, made a contract for seventy miles of 
railroad l)etween the Great Western line of 
Canada on the south and the Wellington. Grey 
& Bruce Railroad on the north to be opened 
for traffic the following January. Mr. Steel 
became special contractor for thirty-five miles 
of this line with fencing for the whole distance, 
necessitating a post and board fence one hun- 
dred and forty miles long. He completed his 
contract, the work being pronounced satis- 
factory in every particular to Mr. Masson, chief 
engineer. 

In addition to his extensive railroad contracts 
Mr. Steel executed government work at Chi- 
cago, Calumet. Ludington. Manistee and 
Frankfort. He was the originator of the St. 
Johns Manufacturing Company, its principal 
stockholder, its pi-esident and one of its direct- 
ors and he held the largest individual interests 
in both the St. Johns National Bank and the 
Clinton County Savings Bank, also of this city. 
He was the president of the Whipple Harrow- 
Company, of St. Johns, of the St. Johns 
E\aiX)rator & Produce Company, the Electric, 
Light. Heat & Power Company and the Mutual 
("■as Company, of St. Jc)hns. He was a i^iutner 
in the retail furniture establishment conducted 
under the name of R. M. Steel & Company and 



64 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY 



had an interest in tiie hardware tirni of Xixoii 
& Company and in the miUineiy firm of J. T. 
' Cole & Company. He was jjresident of the St. 
Johns Mercantile Company, and in 1887 he 
Iniilt the Steel Hotel in St. Jnhns at a cost of 
sixty-five thousand dollars, one of the finest 
1 liotel huildings in the state. He (5\vned at one 
I time about a sixth of the town site and several 
- hundred acres of farm lands within the corpor- 
ate limits of the city, together with farm lands 
in different ])irts of the county and state. He 
likewise had large interests in the west and in 
1879 he began cmitracting on the coast and also 
became a factor in the promotion and conduct 
i of \-arious enteiprises in that section of the 
■ country. He owned a stock ranch in Oregon. 
Avhereon he kept from eight hundred to one 
thousand head of horses of imported and graded 
stock. He also had an individual half town 
4, site of Huntington. Oregon, and with his son 
George was largely interested in the Island 
City Mercantile & Milling Company, together 
with controlling interests in four or five stores 
I and two flouring mills. They laid off the town 
site of Hilgard and established stores there. Mr. 
Steel was interested in copper mines, in several 
placer gold mines and in a large mining ditch 
in Idaho. He became a stockholder in the 
Merciiants" National Bank at Portland and other 
banks of the coast and was president of the 
First National Bank in Island City, also the 
Walldwa National Bank of Enterprise, and the 
L.agrande National Bank at Lagrande. Oregon, 
and the \ice president of the First National 
Bank at L'nion, Oregon. He had three thou- 
sand acres of land in (iratiot county, Michigan, 
^nd an ef|ual amount in Isabella county. In ad- 
dition to his extensive and im]X)rtant Inisiness 
enterprises in this state alread_\- mentioned, he 
was president of the First National Banks of 
Ovid. Mount Pleasant. St. Louis and Ithaca, 
and of the Mount Plejisant Manufacturing 
Company and the Ithaca Milling Company. 

Mr. Steel at one time was the wealthiest resi- 
dent of Clinton county and was a man of \'ery 
l;ene\'olent. charitable spirit, a benefactor to 
many movements for the betterment of the hard 
conditions of human life. His memoiw will not 



only be held sacred in St. Johns but througii- 
out the I'nitetl States wherever he was known 
for manv vears to come. ^[r. Steel was a 
Knight Templar of St. Johns commanflery and 
was a republican in his ])olitical \iews. He was 
married. March 13. i860, to Miss Carrie A. 
Hyatt, a daughter of James M. Hyatt, of New 
^'ork. I""or man\- vears he was closely identified 
with the histor}- of St. Johns and of Clinton 
county as a representative of many of its most 
important business enterprises and various other 
sections of the country felt the stimulus of his 
enterprise and business capacity. He was a 
man of keen discrimination and sound judg- 
ment, and his executive ability and excellent 
management formed the basis of a splendid 
success. 



GEORCE R. DOTY 



(leorge R. Doty, now li\ing a retired life, is 
numbered with the old settlers of Michigan, for 
he came to the state in 1844. locating in Living- 
ston county only se\en years after its admis- 
sion into the l'nion. He has lived in Clinton 
countv since i86i and has therefore for forty- 
four vears been a witness of the events which 
have framed its history and has in a con-;ider- 
able degree aided in public progress and im- 
provement. He came to Michigan from the 
Empire state, his birth having there occurred 
on the 30th of December. 1821. His father. 
Josiah Doty, was Ixim November tS. 1792 
and was twice married, his second union being 
with ("hloe Rash, who became the mother of 
our subject. In the .state of New York George 
R. Dotv was reared, acquiring his education in 
tin- common schools. He aftei-\\ard learned 
and followed the cooper's trade in Lixingston 
and Clinton counties of Michigan. He con- 
tinued coopering' until i85_'. when he removed 
from Livingston county to Mamasura Island in 
Detroit river, where he was employed by the 
government, acting in that ca])acity for about 
nine vears. In ]86i he came to Clinton county, 
where he established a cooper shop, carrying on 
business for five or six years. He then bought 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



65 



a lot and built the principal hotel of Elsie, after 
which he opened it for business, conducting the 
house for a number of years with excellent suc- 
cess. He proved a popular landlord because 
of his earnest desire to please liis patrons and 
the excellent entertainment which he afforded 
to the traveling public. Since retiring from 
the hotel he has engaged in no active business 
pursuit Init is now enjoying a well earned rest. 

Mr. Dot)' was married in Ionia county, 
Michigan, in 1845, to Miss Lydia A. Seeley, 
who passed away on the 30th of .April, T903. 
There had been three children born of that 
marriage, of whom Chloe died at the age of 
twelve years and Frank at the age of six 
months. Charles Doty, living in Elsie, is mar- 
ried and has two children, Eunice and Inez, 
the latter now acting as her grandfather's 
housekeeper. 

In his |X)litical views Mr. Doty is a stanch 
democrat, suixirting the men and measures of 
the party and always giving his allegiance to its 
presidential candidates, save in itS72, when he 
sup]X)rte(l Horace Greeley. He was elected and 
served for four years as justice of the peace, 
has also been a member of the school board and 
rotary public for a number of years. While 
acting in the first named position he performed 
a nnml)er of marriage ceremonies. Mr. Doty 
has led a useful life and is an honored citizen 
of Clinton county. He is now far advanced on 
life's journey, having pas.sed the eighty-fourth 
mile-stone and in a review of his history it will 
l)e .seen that he has displayed many sterling 
traits of character \vorthy of commendation and 
of emulation. His mind bears the impress of 
many of the early historic events of the state, 
for during nv ire than six decades he has resided 
within the borders of Michigan. 



TOHN T. BECKETT. 



John T. Beckett, living on section 27. Olive 
towTishi]). has ))ros])ere<! in bis f;n"ming under- 
takings and entireb' through his own eff<"irts 
has gained the property which he now pos- 



sesses, owning and operating eighty-five acres 
of land. He is a native of Oakland county. 
Michigan, his birth having occurred in the 
town of Pontiac on the 23d of July, 1859. His 
father, Samuel Beckett, was born in Lincoln- 
shire, iuigland, in 1826. and the grandfather, 
Thomas Beckett, was likewise a native of that 
countr\ , whence he emigrated to the new 
world in 1842. establishing his hoirie in the 
state of New "S'ork. There Samuel Beckett 
was reared to manhood and when a young man 
he came west to Michigan, arriving in this 
state about 1847. He located in Oakland 
county, where he was afterward joined by his 
mother and the other members of the family. 
It was in that county that Samuel Beckett was 
married to Miss Mary Ann Frank, a native of 
Oakland county and a daughter of John 
Frank, one of its early settlers. Having come 
to the west from Vermont. Mr. Beckett be- 
gan farming in Oakland county and there he 
reared his family, whereon he spent his remain- 
ing days, his death ocau'ring there in 1902. 
His wife still survives him and now resides 
with her son Fred H., who is married and 
makes his home in Rochester, Michigan, where 
he follows the trade of a carpenter and joiner. 
John T. Beckett, her other son. was reared 
in the county of his nativity and is indebted to 
the public-school system for the educational 
pri\ileges he enjoyed. He continued under 
the ])arental roof until twenty-three years of 
age. when in 1883 he came to Clinton county, 
w here he worked by the month for two years. 
He was married here on the 20th of Novem- 
ber. 1884. to Miss .\nna Randall, a native of 
Oakland count)-, in which locality she spent 
her girlho(^d days. Her father. Joseph Ran- 
dall, was a native of New York and one of the 
early settlers of Oakland county, whence he 
removed to Clinton county. Following his 
marriage Mr. Beckett rented a fanu for three 
years and in 1888 purchased the place upon 
which he now resides, buying at first but forty- 
acres. He at once began tilling the soil and 
otherwise improving the place and he built 
thereon a good house and added many modem 
equipments. He also extended the boundaries 



66 



PAST AXD PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



of his farm as his linancial resources increaseii 
and owns eighty-five acres at the present time. 
He has a windmill here and all modem ma- 
chinery and in addition to the cultivation of the 
soil he likewise raises good grades of stock. 
Me and his wife have two children : \'iola B.. 
the wife of Charles Taylor, a resident farmer 
of Olive township; and Helen, who is a stu- 
dent in St. Johns high school. 

Politically Mv. I'eckett is a stanch repuh- 
lican. having given his .smpport to the party dur- 
ing most of his life. He has heen elected and 
is now serving as township clerk. ha\ing filled 
the office for six consecutive \ears and in 1905 
he was re-elected. He has likewise served on 
the school board and he is a Master Mason. 
belonging to Dewitt lodge. No. 272. A. F. & 
.\. yi.. and to the Modern Woodmen camj). 
while he and his wife are members of the Or- 
der of the Eastern Star. 



CAPTATX A. S. HARRIS. 

Ca])tain A. S. Harris. li\-ing on section cj. 
Lebanon township, is one of the honored 
veterans of the Ci\il war, who when a call for 
troops came manifested his loyalty to the Union 
and joined the army in its defense. Fearlessly 
he performed the duties assigned to him. return- 
ing home with a creditable military record and 
in all life's relations he has manifested the same 
spirit of devotion to duty. His attention is 
now given to farming o])erations and he owns 
and cultivates two hundred and forty-four acres 
of land in Lebanon town.ship, the home place 
comprising one hundred and twenty acres. 
He dates his residence in the county from 1871. 

His birth octnirred in Vermont about twenty- 
five miles north of Mont])elier. on the 13th of 
January, 1839. His father. James Harris, was 
a native of New Hamp.shire and was there 
reared, while in Massachusetts he wedded Miss 
Charlotte Downer, whose birth occurred in the 
old Bay state. Mr. Harris became a farmer of 
Vermont and later followed mercantile pursuits 
in W'avne and Monroe counties of New Yr)rk. 



Sub.seciuently he came to Michigan, joining his 
son Charles in Clinton county, and his last 
years were passed here, his death occurring 
alxjut 1892. His wife survived him for a 
number of years and died in 1902. In their 
family were six children : Henry, the eldest, 
was rine of five brothers who enlisted and ser\'ed 
in the Civil war as defenders of the Union 
cau.se. after which he married and settled upon 
a farm but is now deceased : Charles resides in 
.\bintcalm county. Michigan: A. S. is the next 
younger; Solon died in Wayne county. New 
"^'ork, in 1904; Mrs. Frances Bishop, now a 
widow, is living in Bloomer township. Mont- 
calm county. Michigan; and Edgar, a promi- 
nent farmer of Lebanon township, is residing 
in Hubertson. He was a soldier of the Civil 
war. 

Captain Harris was reared in Wayne county, 
Xew York, and is indebted to its public-school 
svstem for the educational privileges he en- 
jo\ed in his youth. He was a young man of 
t\\ent\-two years when on the 9th of Septem- 
ber. 1861. in response to his county's call for 
troop-, he enlisted for three years' service as a 
member of Company I. Xinety-eighth Volun- 
teer Infantry, which was assigned to the .\rmy 
of the Potomac. He did active duty in the 
Carolinas and a part of the time was under 
Ceorge B. McClellan in the Peninsular cam- 
|)aign. He enlisted as a private but was pro- 
moted to the rank of sergeant and passed 
through successive grades until he was com- 
missioned captain. He took part in the bat- 
tle of Williamsburg and later in the engage- 
ments in the Peninsular campaign and arrived 
at Richmond, thus taking part in many impor- 
tant battles, including the one at Malvern Hill. 
He was wounded at Fair Oaks and later in 
front of Richmond but was not disabled. In 
1863 he veteranized and then returned home 
upon a thirty days furlough, rejoining his regi- 
ment at Yorktown, Virginia. Subsequently he 
participated in the battle of Bermuda Hundred 
and others in that locality and later joined 
(ieneral Grant at Cold Harbor, taking part in 
the battle from the ist to the 3d of June. Fol- 
lowing the siege at Pittsburg and Richmond his 




CAPT. AND MRS. A. S. HARRIS. 



I "AST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



69 



1)ii^;ule was the first to enter the latter city, 
l-'ire liad lx?en started and tlic tnuips were set to 
work to extinguish the flames and tluis save 
tlie city. Cajitain I hirris ser\ed until the 
close of the war and was mustered out at Rich- 
mond, receiving an honorahle discharge at 
Alhan\-. Xew ^'ork. in September, 1865. His 
valor and meritorious conduct on the field of 
battle had won him promotion and his own 
hrav'er}' often inspired his men to deeds of valor. 

When the country no longer needed his aid 
Captain Harris returned to his home in Wayne 
county, New York, where he hegan work on 
the farm there. He was married in that county. 
November 15. 1867. to Miss Louise Bishop, a 
native of Wayne county. New York, who com- 
pleted her education in the Walworth high 
school. The young couple began their domestic 
life upon a farm in W'ayne county, which Cap- 
tain Harris cultivated until 1871, when he sold 
c>ut and came to Michigan, purchasing one 
hundred acres of land in I.elianon township, 
Clinton county. This he began to clear and im- 
prove and later he bought where he now resides. 
He has fenced the fields, erected good buildings, 
kept evervthing about the place in a state of 
rejiair and is now one of the prosperous agri- 
culturists of this part of the county. 

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Harris have been born 
tiiree children who are yet living : Fred N.. a 
substantial farmer of Lebanon township, who 
is serving as township clerk; Eva. who was 
formerly engaged in teaching and is now the 
wife of John Crout, a business man of Battle 
Creek, Michigan ; and James Willard, who as- 
sists in carrying on the home farm. They also 
lost two sons: Frank, who was a business man 
and was killed by the cars at Battle Creek, 
Michigan: and Charles, who died in infancy. 

Politically Captain Harris has been a life- 
long republican and cast his first presidential 
vote for Abraham Lincoln while serving in 
the army. He was elected and served as super- 
visor for one year, has iDcen highway commis- 
sioner and justice of the peace and has fre- 
quently been chosen as a delegate to county and 
state conventions. He is a member of Hub- 
bardston post, G. A. R., of which he has served 



as commander, and his wife is connected with 
the Woman's Relief Corps. During thirty-four 
years he has resided in Clinton county, being 

thoroughly identified with its interests and in 
s}nipathv with its progressive measures. He 
made a creditable military record but it has 
been no more creditable than his business career, 
for at all limes he has been straightforward and 
hcmdrable, never passing beyond the standard 
I if justice and right in his trade transactions. 



JOHN KELLY. 



John Kelly, one of the leading and influential 
farmers of Bingham township, living on section 
14. was l)orn on the Isle of Man, May 20, 
1S34. his ])arents being Williatn and Elizaljeth 
( Crelling) Kelly, Ixjth of whom were natives 
of the Isle of Man. The father was a local 
minister of the Wesleyan church on his native 
isle, situated ninety miles from Ireland, while 
the east end of the island is forty-two miles 
from England and the north side sixteen miles 
from Scotland. This island is about thirty- 
two miles long and fourteen miles wide and its 
population is sixty-five thousand. The father 
rode on horseback to preach at his dififerent 
charges on Sunday morning. He was a very 
earnest and able speaker and was considered 
one of the brightest orators of his day. A man 
of kind disposition, he was greatly beloved by 
all his people and his death, which occurred on 
the 4th of March, 1850, left a vacancy not 
only in his place in the ministry but also in 
the locality that it was difficult to fill. He had 
sjient his life there, his labors were interwoven 
with the intellectual and moral development of 
the people, and he had become endeared to all 
who knew him. He left a widow and nine chil- 
dren to mourn his loss. At one time he was 
the owner of a place called Calf of Man, a 
small island located about two miles from the 
west end of the main island. His brother, 
Henry Kelly, was inspector of police at Liver- 
j»ol for thirty years and received a salary of 
three thousand pounds per annum, this being 



70 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



the highest office in the iiolice department. He 
was also pohce magistrate and when his de- 
cision was given on any case there was no ap- 
pe.'d. His life was an example of justice and 
peace and in all of his official service he was 
strictly fair and impartial. His death occurred 
in 1885 (in the Tsle of Man. where he was li\'- 
ing a quiet life after retiring from official 
service. Pie was a ])niniinent man of his day 
and one wlm enjuyed in uiuiualified measiu'e the 
regard of his fellow citizens. 

John Kelly had but two hrdthers who came 
to this country. William, who crossed the At- 
lantic in 1835. settled in New York state near 
Rochester, where he passed away in 1857. 
James came in 1862 and took up his abode near 
Rochester, where he followed his trade of black- 
smithing for a time but subsequently went to 
the oil fields of Pennsylvania. 

John Kelly was only si.x years of age when 
his father died and he remained with his 
mother until old enough tn work and provide 
for his own supixirt. when he hired out to Air. 
Mylcherst fin the Ballamoda farm, where he 
worked ffir fi\e years for his board and cloth- 
ing. He then left the farm and spent the next 
six years as an employe on dfferent farms by 
the year and in that time he saved enough 
money to bring him to America. In 1857 he 
sailed fur Canada but when four days out a 
hea\y storm struck the ship, which was 
wrecked, .\fter floating on the wreck for five 
days, during which nearly all of the passengers 
were drowned, the few survivors were picked 
up by a ship fmm India, which took the pas- 
sengers on Ixiard and then towed the wreck 
into Plymouth, where the ship was rebuilt. 
After seven weeks the\- again set sail and with- 
out further mishap Mr. Kelly landed at Quebec, 
where he at once tegan looking for work. He 
was unsuccessful until he had traveled as far as 
Cobourg, Ontario, where he obtained employ- 
ment on a farm belonging to Mr. Doolittle. He 
worked there for three years and during that 
time was accorded the privilege of attending 
school in the winter months. He then crossed 
the line into the United States and found work 
on a farm near Rochester, New York, where 



his brother had been working at the time of his 
death. John Kelly remained there until 1874, 
working on surrounding farms fur five years 
and also being employed by the county on 
ditch work, and then came to Clinton county, 
Michigan. 

When he had saved from his earnings a sum 
sufficient to enable him to purchase land he 
bnught the Yakins fami on section 14, Bing- 
ham townshi]>, in 1874. This was covered by 
a dense growth of timl)er, there being not even 
a road cut through to St. Johns but he at once 
petitioned the county to open a road and was 
given the contract to do the work. He cut the 
road through from the county seat t\vo miles 
east, one mile north and a half mile south. It 
was for sometime afterward called the Kelly 
road but is now known as the Telephone road. 
It was built dififerent from many of the early 
roads, being graded and' built up with gravel, 
so that it made an excellent highway, .\fter 
completing this road Mr. Kelly began to clear 
his land and get it into proper condition for 
farming. Pie built his residence, hauling the 
stone used in tlie cellar walls from Shepards- 
ville. At the end of four years he had cleared 
sevent)- acres on the farm but he found that 
the constant hardships he had endured were too 
much for his constitution and his health was 
breaking down. For two years he was unable 
to do any kind of work and at one time it was 
thought that he would never again take up 
acti\e business cares but he liegan to improve 
and gradually recovered his former health, so 
that now at the age of seventy-one years he is 
well and active. He has added to his original 
farm a tract of forty acres adjoining on the west 
and has by earnest and indefatigable lalx)r de- 
veloped an excellent farm (jrojierty, in the midst 
of which stands a comfortal)le home wherein 
he is spending the evening of life surrounded 
by all of the necessities and many of the com- 
forts that go to make life worth living. 

Mr. Kelly was married on the Isle of Man, 
March 9, 1864, to Miss Margaret Stowell, a 
daughter of Thomas S. and Mary ( Starkey) 
Stowell of that place. Her parents were repre- 
sentatives of old and prominent families on the 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



71 



Isle of Man and are mentioned in its liistoricai 
records. Her father was a W'esleyan minister 
and spent all of his life in active ciiurch work. 
He was calleil upon to mourn the loss of his 
wife in 1878 and he survi\e(l until 1891. He 
left eight children, of whom five are still living 
hut only one. George Stowell, resides in this 
country, his home heing in Montana. The others 
are: William O., a farmer on the Isle of i\Ian : 
Mylrea, who is living in the city of Douglas on 
the Isle of Man ; and Mary Ann in Laxa on 
that island. Two other hrothcrs came to 
-America hut are now deceased. Thomas 
Stowell arrived ahout 1870 and followed min- 
ing at Galveston, Henry county, Illinois, where 
he died ahout a year and a half later. Robert 
S. crossed the Atlantic in 1879 and began min- 
ing in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. After 
traveling over nearly this entire continent he 
l)urchased a farm in Montana l)ut afterward 
sold that property to his brother George, who 
still owns it. while he went to Colorado, where 
he died in 1893. (jeorge Stowell, who is now 
on the farm in Montana, has taken an active 
part in educational and church work since going 
there and is a \ery highly res]jecte(l and in- 
fluential citizen. 

In the maternal line the ancestry of Mrs. 
Kelly can be traced somewhat farther liack. 
Her grandfather was a miller by trade and 
made the first cart with six)ked wheels on the 
Isle of M;in. When he became too old to en- 
gage longer in the milling business he was ap- 
pointed tax collector. A man of superior edu- 
cation, he translated many manuscripts from 
the Manx to the English language and was a 
prominent factor in public life of his locality. 

Unto Mr. and ]\Irs. Kelly have been born ten 
children : William Thomas, a traveling sales- 
man residing at St. Johns ; Mary E. and Louisa 
J., who are clerking in St. Johns ; George A., 
a mail carrier of that city; Margaret K., who 
is a graduate of the Ypsilanti Normal School 
and is teaching at Holland. Michigan ; Henry, 
at home: Alice, the wife of Louis Richard, of 
Grandledge, who spent five years in teaching 
prior to her marriage ; Carrie, who is a graduate 
of the St. Johns high school and is clerking in 



that city: Mabel, who is also a graduate of the 
high .school of St. Johns and is at home; and 
Robert J., who is a graduate of the high school 
and is now in the office of J. L. Brown, an at- 
torney of St. Johns. The parents are memljers 
of St. Johns Methodist Episcopal church, to 
which the children also belong, and tw-o of the 
daughters are now members of the choir of that 
denomination in St. Johns. Mr. Kelly has 
ne\"er had occasion to regret his determination 
to seek a home in .\merica, for he has here 
found the business opportunities he sought and 
which are always open to ambitious energetic 
men. He has made the most of his oppor- 
tunities and his lators have brought him a good 
proi>erty. 



THEODORE N. HENGESBACH. 

Theodore N. 1 Iciigcsbach, living in West- 
phalia, was born in Westphalia township, 
June 2;. 1874, a .son of Joseph and IMary E. 
I Schaefer) Hengesbach, also natives of Michi- 
gan. The father is a farmer and is now liv- 
ing in Westphalia township, but his wife 
passed away in 1895. at the age of forty-five 
years. He has led a quiet, unassuming life, 
but is recognized as one of the enterprising 
agriculturists of his township. In the familv 
were eight children, those still living being 
John C. Theixlore N.. Jo.seph. I^uis. Edward 
C, Leo and .Anna, the wife of Joseph A. .Arens. 
All are yet living in Westphalia town.ship. Mr. 
Hengesbach of this review l)egan his educa- 
tion in the public schools and between the ages 
of seven and thirteen years attended the pa- 
rochial schools, while later he continued his 
studies in evening schools. He remained on 
his father's farm until seventeen years of age 
and then started out upon an independent busi- 
ness career, first representing the Wolverine 
Soap Company as a traveling salesman. In 
January, 1898. he came to Westphalia, where 
he has since been engage<l in the retail liquor 
business. 

Mr. Hengesbach has extended his activity 
to various lines. He has been corresponding 



72 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



and recording secretary of the Arbeiter Un- 
terstutzungs Verein, tilling those positions for 
five years and has been treasurer for two and 
a half years. In politics he is a democrat, ac- 
tive in the local ranks of his party and has 
been a member of the democratic central 
county committee. He has recognized ability 
as a newspaper correspondent for the Portland 
Review and in Westphalia he served as village 
president in 1904, giving a public-spirited and 
progressive administration. He has also been 
school inspector for four years and the cause 
of education finds in him a warm and helpful 
friend. He belongs to St. Mary's Catholic 
church and is thus actively interested in the 
material, political, intellectual and moral prog- 
ress of the village. 

Mr. Hengesbach was married on the loth of 
May, 1898, to Miss Mathilda Arens. a daugh- 
ter of Anthony and Theresa (Diebold) Arens. 
and their children are Bertha M. E., Adelina 
K. and Theodora M. 



OLl\'F.R B. CAMPBELL. M. D. 

This is an age of specialization. It is the 
unusual rather than the usual thing in this 
period of tlie world's progress for a man to at- 
tempt to familiarize himself to the greatest 
extent with every department of a profession, 
usually concentrating liis energies upon one 
special line and while Dr. Oliver B. Campbell 
is recognized as a capable and successful gen- 
eral physician he is still better known for his 
abilitv as a surgeon, to which branch of the 
science he has given close and discriminating 
attention, while his practice in this profession 
has called him to almost every town within a 
radius of forty miles of his home. 

He resides in Ovid and is a native of Buf- 
falo. New York, where his birth occurred on 
the 9th of May, 1852, his parents being Oliver 
B. and Mary (Mills) Campbell. His father 
was born in Buflfalo, where he spent his boy- 
hood days and after passing the competitive 
state examination he was admitted to the State 



Normal School, at Albany, from which he re- 
ceived his teacher's certiticate. He entered 
upon the active work of his profession in Oak- 
land county, Michigan, and w'as there married 
to Miss Mary Mills, a daughter of Calvin and 
Lovisa Mills, of Oakland county, but just 
when a bright, happy future seemed within his 
reach death claimed him and after a brief ill- 
ness he left a young widow whose greatest sol- 
ace proved to be her little son, to whom she 
gave the name of Oliver B. Two and a half 
years after his birth, however, she, too, passed 
away and the little lad was left an orphan. He 
was then taken to the home of his grandfather 
Mills, in Clarkston, Michigan, where he spent 
the days of his boyhood and youth. 

At the usual age he began his education in 
the village schools there and subsequently con- 
tinued his studies in the high schools of Orton- 
ville, Goodrich and Holly. When nineteen 
_\-ears of age he entered the medical department 
of the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, 
from which he was graduated in 1875, and he 
at once began the practice of medicine in Good- 
rich, Genesee county, where he remained for 
two years. He then came to Clinton county 
and opened an office in the town of 0\'id, 
wliere he has since carried on a very success- 
ful practice, specializing in surgery. He has 
become recognized as one of the most eminent 
and capable surgeons of this district and as 
liefore stated his practice in this direction has 
carried him into almost ever\' city, town and 
\illagc within a radius of forty miles. In 1900, 
in order to advance his proficiency, he pursued 
a post-graduate course and received his degree 
from the Chicago Clinical School. He is ac- 
corded a prominent place in medical circles 
in the county and state, as is indicated by the 
fact that he was elected to the presidency of 
the Clinton County Medical Society for three 
vears. He still holds membership therewith 
and is also a member of the Michigan State 
Medical Society and the American Medical 
Association. In 1900 he was appointed lec- 
turer of the Michigan State Medical Society 
for the eighth district of Michigan and has 
delivered lectures before the members of the- 




DR. O. B. CAMPBELL. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



75 



professiun in Owosso, Saginaw and St. Johns. 
During President Qeveland'.s administration 
he was appointed pension examiner at Owosso, 
which position he held for about twelve years. 
He also served as railroad surgeon for aboiit 
twenty years. 

In his political \iews Dr. Campbell has ever 
l)een a stanch democrat and in 1902 he re- 
ceived the delegation from the eighth congres- 
sional district offering him the nomination for 
congress which he declined, however, being 
unable to spare the time from his large and 
increasing practice, in which he takes a deep 
interest and just pride, having a strong sen.se 
of conscientious obligation regarding the re- 
sponsibilities that devolve upon him in this 
connection. He has, however, acted as vil- 
lage officer for many years and he is a mem- 
ber of Ovid lodge. No. 127. A. F. & A. M., 
and the Royal Arch chapter. He has not only 
proved a successful physician but has also 
displayed excellent business discernment in 
other directions, having many paying interests 
throughout the county and state. He is now 
a member of the board of directors of the 
State Savings Rank, at Ovid, is the senior 
memlier of the lianking firm of Cani])liell &• 
Steadman. of Elsie and of Banister, and nwns 
considerable real estate. 

On the 20th of September, 1876, Dr. Camp- 
bell was married to Miss Emma F. Pingree. a 
daughter of the late Dr. Charles \\'. Pingree. 
of Ovid, and a cousin of the late Governor 
Pingree, of Detroit. Her parents came to 
Clinton county in 1S7C). settling in Ovid, where 
the Doctor continued his practice muil his 
death, when Dr. Cam])bell became his suc- 
cessor, being at that time in partnership with 
him. Ik- left a widow. Mrs. .\. O. Pingree. 
and twi) children: Charles P. Pingree and 
Mrs. Cam])l)ell. The former speiU his I)oy- 
hood days in 0\ id and following his .gradua- 
tion from the high school of this place entered 
the Michigan State University, at .Ann .Vrbor. 
in which he completed a course in the medical 
and pharmacy departments. He then re- 
ceived the appointiuent of professor of botany 
and materia medica in the Mas.sachusetts Col- 



lege of I'harmacy at lioston and likewise the 
appointment of professor of histology in the 
Boston Dental School, which position he held 
until his death. He left a widow and one son, 
Charles O., of Boston. Mrs. Campbell is a 
graduate of the Ovid high school and has ta- 
ken a four years' course in the Chautauqua 
Literary School and also the Bryant course. 
She is a nuisician of more than ordinary ability, 
having studied under her mother and some of 
the best teachers in Detroit and is a valued 
factor in musical circles throughout the 
county, while both Dr. and Mrs. Campbell are 
cordiall}- received into the best social circles 
where true worth and excellence are taken 
as passports that gain entrance into good 
societv. 



EDWARD J. MOINET. 

Edward J. Moinet, whose natural aptitude for 
the ])rofession, laudable ambition and uncon- 
querable detemiination give promise of a suc- 
cessful career at the bar, is a native of Louis- 
ville. Stark county. Ohio, born July 14, 1(873. 
His ])arents are Julian J. and .\deline (Sava- 
gent) Moinet, natixes of b'rance and of Stark 
countx'. (^liio. respecti\'elv. Roth are still liv- 
ing, their home being in .St. Johns. Michigan. 

Edward J. Moinet. the fourth in order of 
l)irth in a family of si.x children, was a student 
in the jniblic schools of St. Johns and after 
Completing the high-school course entered 
upon preparation for his chosen profession in 
180,^ as a student in the l^niversity of Michi- 
gan, completing a course with the law class of 
18Q5. He located for practice in Tthaca, Mich- 
igan, in December of that year, remaining 
there until January. i8()0. when he came to St. 
Johns, where he entered u|x>n practice in June, 
igoT. in ))artnership with Edwin H. Lyon, un- 
der the firm style of Lyon & Moinet. They 
have a large and desirable clientage connecting 
them with much of the important litigation 
tried in the courts of this district. Mr. Moinet 
is \ery careful in the preparation of his cases 
and his reputation as a lawyer has been won 



76 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



tlirough earnest, lionest labi)r, his standing- at 
the bar being a merited tribute to his abihty. 
His careful preparation of cases is supple- 
mented by strong argument and forceful pre- 
sentation of his points in the courtroom, so 
that he never fails to impress court or jury, 
and seldom fails to gain the verdict desired. 

Mr. Moinet is a republican in his politiail 
affiliation, interested in the great questions af- 
fecting the welfare of state and nation, and 
well informed on the issues of the day. He 
belongs to the Masonic fraternity, in which he 
has attained the Knight Templar degree. 

On the 30th of Octol)er, 1897. Mr. Moinet 
was married to Miss Eda M. Steel, a daugh- 
ter of George H. Steel, of St. Johns. Their 
children are Alden Edward and Margaret Steel. 
Mr. and Mrs. Moinet are well known in social 
circles here and regarding his professional ca- 
reer his acquaintances speak of him in favor- 
able terms, recognizing that he has the abilit\' 
and ambition which will eventually win pro- 
motions. 



ROBERT HERBISON. 

Robert Herbison, living on section 10. Bath 
township, is classed with its prosperous agri- 
culturists and his realty holdings are one hun- 
dred and thirty acres. Moreover, he is one 
of the old settlers of the state, having become 
a resident of Michigan in 1846, while since 
1867 he has lived in Clinton countw .\ nati\e 
of Irelantl. his birth occurred in County An- 
trim, near Belfast, May 10, 1842, and his fa- 
ther, Joseph Herbison, was likewise a native of 
the Emerald Tsle but came of Scotch ancestiy. 
He was married, however, in Ireland to Miss 
Hannah Hymen, who was of English lineage 
and in the year 1844 he emigrated to the new 
world, making his way direct to Lenawee 
county, Michigan, where he bought one hun- 
dred and sixty acres of land. That was in 
the period of early development here and the 
tract which he secured was in consequence en- 
tirely wild and unimproved but he cleared 
away the timber, turned the furrows, sowed 



the seed and in due course of time gathered 
harvests that proved the practical utility of his 
labors. Upon the farm which he there opened 
up and developed he spent his last years and 
was survived for alxjut four years by his wife. 
They now rest side by side in Tecumseh ceme- 
ter\-. 

Robert Herbison was reared to manhood in 
Lenawee county and helped to clear and carry 
on the home farm. He had but little school 
advantages and is almost wholly a self-edu- 
cated man, while his business career entitles 
him to the proud American term "a self-made 
man." He came to Clinton county in 1867 and 
Ixiught one hundred and twenty acres of raw 
land upon which he now resides but the farm of 
to-day bears little resemblance to the tract which 
came intf) his possession almost forty years ago. 
It is now well fenced and the fields are highl\- 
culti\aled. laden with ripening grain. Then 
it was an unbroken forest, not a stick having 
been cut nor had even a shanty been built 
thereon but to-day there is a fine brick resi- 
dence standing in the midst of a well kept lawn 
and shaded by beautiful evergreen and other 
ornamental trees, while shrubbery and flowers 
adorn the place. There is a large basement 
liarn and other outbuildings and in fact none 
of the equiiMiients of a model farm are lack- 
ing. 

Robert Herbison came to Clinton county 
with his brothers. Joseph and John Herbison, 
and all settled here. In 1868 the first men- 
tioned returned to Lenawee county and was 
married there in the spring of 1869 to Miss 
Ellen McCanii, a lady of Scotch descent, who 
was born in Tecumseh, Michigan. Following 
their mruTiage he brought his bride to the home 
which he had prepared and for a few years 
they li\ed in tnie primitive pioneer style in a 
log house, but while the young wife faithfully 
performed the duties of the household Mr. 
Herbison energetically carried on the farm 
work, clearing the fields, building fences and 
improving the property. As the years passed 
by nine children, three sons and six daughters, 
were added to the household, namely: Brant, a 
machinist living in Lansing; Buford, at home; 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



77 



Lewis, who is in the raih'Dad service uf the 
Micliigan Central Railroad Company ; Han- 
nah, who is engaged in the niilhnery laisinesa 
in Lansing: Eleanor, the wife of Henry Luther, 
of Kalamazoo. .Michigan; Augusta, Irene and 
Ethel, all at home: and Clara, wife of A. C. 
Cardner, of Ovid. 

In his political views .Mr. llcrbisim has al- 
ways been identified with the democracy and 
cast his first presidential ballot for General 
George B. McClellan in 1864. He has at 
times, however, voted regardless of party ties 
and his last presidential vote was given in sup- 
port of Theodore Roosevelt. .\t local elec- 
tions he never considers himself Ijound to party 
ties. su])porting then the canflidates whom he 
regards as best (|ualified lor r>ftice. While he 
and his wife are not members of any church 
thev attend and give their support to the Meth- 
odist Episcopal church and Mr. Herbison is a 
member of the Odd Fellows lodge at Bath, in 
which he has filled all of the offices and is now 
past grand. He has likewise been sent as a 
delegate to the grand lodge of the state and 
he and his wife are connected with the Re- 
l)ekah degree and Mrs. Herliison has been its 
delegate to the grand lodge. He is familiar 
with the ])ioneer histon- of Michigan and what 
to many is a matter of record is largely to him 
a matter of experience or else as an interested 
witness he has .seen the events which have 
marked its early progress and improvement. 



WILLIA^l H. LACY. 

Farming interests in X'ictor townshij) find a 
worthy representative in William H. I^acy, who 
lives on section 36. He owns tw'O hundred 
acres of richly productive land locatefl within 
two miles of Laingsburg, and in his farming 
operations he finds ample o]iportunity for the 
exercise of his native talents, his business afifairs 
being capably and successfully conducted. Mr. 
Lacy was born in Oakland county, December 
19, 185 1, and is a son of Henry C. T^ncy. who 
is mentioned on another page of this volume. 



His youth was jiassed in Oakland. Shiawassee 
and Clinton counties, accompanying his parents 
on their various removals. His education was 
largely acquired in the district schools and in 
Laingsburg, and he remained with his father 
until he had attained his majority, assisting him 
in carrying on the work of the home farm. 
Thinking to find another occu|)ation more con- 
genial and ])rofitable he then engaged in the 
manufacture of lumber and .shingles, operating 
a shinglemill in Lapeer county and later in 
Lake county. He continued in the business 
until the spring of i8<So, turning his attention 
to the further development and im])rovement 
of this ])l;ice. He met with success in his under- 
takings and as his financial resources increased 
he extended the boundaries of his farm Ijy ad- 
ditional ])urchase until he now owns two hun- 
dred acres of good land which is arable and pro- 
ducti\e. It is enclosed with a good fence and 
the equi])nients of ;i moilel farm of the twentieth 
century .are all found here, including a ])leasant 
residence and good basement b.arn and outbuild- 
ings for the shelter of grain and stock, and a 
well kept orchard. He has ani])le house room 
for binders, mowers and other farm machinery, 
together with his wagons and buggies, and he 
uses the latest improved farm implements to 
facilitate the work of die fields and the care 
of the crops. In addition to the raising of the 
cereals he likewise raises good stock, making 
a specialty of fine sheep of the black top ;uid 
Spanish Merino breeds. He has a flock of 
seventy ewes and a pure l)kx)ded registered ram. 

On the 30th of June, 1878, Mr. Lacy was 
united in marriage in Lake county. Michigan, 
to Miss Rebecca Brown, a native of Canada, 
who was reared and educated, however, in Clin- 
ton and Shiawassee counties, her father, James 
Brown, having been one of the early settlers of 
the county. They are both well known socially 
and the hospitality of many of the best homes 
of this part of the county is freely and cordially 
extended them, while in their own home good 
cheer aliounds. 

Politically Mr. Lacy is a republican at the 
present time but was reared in the democratic 
faith and cast his first ballot for Samuel J. Til- 



78 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



den. He, however, supported James A. Gar- 
field for the presidency and has since been a 
repubhcan. He has never sought or desired 
office, giving his time and attention to his busi- 
ness affairs and other interests. He and his 
wife attend the Congregational church and he 
belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fel- 
lows and the Masonic lodge, both of Laings- 
burg, while he and his wife affiliate with the 
Eastern Star. He is a representative agri- 
culturi.st of Clinton county and like many 
others keeps his farm in excellent condition, 
his buildings being well painted, the lawn neatly 
trimmed, the fences kept in good repair, and in 
fact everything about the place denotes his care, 
acti\ity and enterprising spirit. 



MARVIN BABCOCK. 

Marvin Balxock, who in the face of almost 
unsurniotmtable difficulties attained success 
that in view of the fact seemed almost phenome- 
nal, was for man)- years a prominent and 
honored citizen of St. Johns, where he died 
June 28, 1898. He was born July 2, 181 7, and 
Avas of English ancestry, belonging to a family 
whose name was originally Badcock. His 
father. Samuel Babcock, was a native of Wind- 
ham ciiunty, Connecticut, Imm August 9. 1779. 
and his mother, whose maiden name was 
Clarissa Brown, was also a native of the Char- 
ter Oak state and a cousin of Lorenzo Brown. 
They were married September 8, 1800. and 
eight children were born of the union, of whom 
Marvin Babcock was the youngest, but all arc 
now deceased. The father was a merchant and 
was one of the founders of Hampton, now called 
Westmoreland, in Oneida county. New York. 
When the war of 18 12 was over, however, 
prices dinn'nished in all lines of business and 
Mr. Babcock's failure resulted. The sheriff 
sold everything he had and in accordance with 
the laws of that day (which, viewed in the 
present age of enlightenment, .seem utterly pre- 
posterous and unjust), put the debtor in jail 
at Whiteslwro. Not belonging to the criminal 



class he was put "on the limits'" with the 
privilege of returning home Saturday night to 
spend Sunday with his family, but he was not 
privileged to have even a half day during the 
week \\herein to earn bread for his wife and 
children. Mr. Babcock of this review fre- 
fpienth' related how, when only three years of 
age, he would go with his mother to the jail 
to see his father, who died in 1820 of quick 
consumption after six months' confinement in 
prison because of his debts. 

Marv'in Babcock was not a strong nor robust 
lad but he resolved that he would not go to 
the poorhouse and that earnest laljor should give 
him a good living. He had a capital of one 
dollar and a quarter, which he invested in goods, 
starting out as a peddler, and he continued in 
that work until he had gained one hundred dol- 
lars. He then took a deck passage from Buffalo 
to Detroit and located in the township of Web- 
ster, Washtenaw county, Michigan, where he 
found a neighljcjrhood of friendly people. He 
purchased a tract of land in the midst of the 
unbroken forest in 1837 and then, returning to 
New York, he resumed business as a peddler. 
In 1840 he started again to the west and pur- 
chased a flock of sheep in Ohio, which he drove 
to W'ashtenaw county, Michigan, probably the 
first sheep e\er brought to the county. In i860 
be started for Texas with a drove of fine wool 
sheep, one thousand in numljer, intending' to 
enter in the wool-growing business in that 
state, but on account of the outl^reak of the Civil 
war he disposed of his sheep in Iowa and did 
not go to the south. 

When he ceased to engage in the peddling 
Inisiness Mr. Babcock sold goods at Albion and 
at Otisco, this state, and subsequently engaged 
in the conduct of a jewelr\- store at St. Johns 
for a number of years. He was well fitted for 
a mercantile line, having the qualities essential 
to the successful merchant — the ability to recog- 
nize the wants and w'ishes of his customers and 
to handle all business interests with care and 
precision. Whatever he undertook he carried 
forw.ard to successful completion, having a 
strong purpose and unfaltering will combined 
with good business judgment and keen sag;icity. 




MRS. :^IA1<LV W. BABCOCK. 




MARVIN BABCOCK. 



'K 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



83 



At tlie time of tlie gold excitement in Cali- 
fornia Mr. Baljcock became possessed of a 
strong desire to try his fortune in the mines of 
the Pacific coast and in 1852 went l)y tlie over- 
land p-remont route to California. He dug 
gold with his own hands to the value of sixty- 
five cents and then became ill with ague. He 
])urchased twelve bottles of medicine at three 
dollars per bottle, \\hich largely exhausted his 
capital and after remaining for four weeks on 
the Pacific coast he returned home by way of 
the Isthmus of Panama. 

Mr. Babcock never belonged to any church 
nor secret society sa\e one and he ceased affilia- 
tion with that after attending two meetings. 
He was a Spiritualist and was widely known 
on account of his opjx)sition to the teaching of 
religion in the public schools. He published a 
number of tracts expressing his views on re- 
ligion, one being especially notable — an open 
letter to the St. Johns school board, in which 
he protested against teaching sectarianisiu in 
the public schools. This work was translated 
into some languages of India under the auspices 
of the Columbo Theosophical Society. One of 
the thoughts which he ad\anced was that there 
were over one thousand religions and that the 
best one is tliat which has the most humanity, 
that most loves justice, that has most respect 
for good works rather than for faith and that 
is possessed of a disposition to sometimes wil- 
lingly make sacrifice for the sake of peace and 
the gratification of others. Mr. Babcock's be- 
lief was always for better religion, one that 
tended to ameliorate the hard conditions of 
mankind to bring peace and hamiony between 
man and his fellowman. 

Mr. Babcock was united in marriage to Miss 
Mary Knight, who was born October 17, 1822. 
in Verona, Oneida county. New York. She 
was the eldest daughter of Levi Knight, whose 
ancestors were of English lineage and settled 
in Windham county, Vermont. Her great- 
grandfather, Jonathan Knight, was an officer 
of tlie Revolutionary war. .\bout the time of 
the war of 1812 his son Levi removed with his 
family to Oneida county, where in 18 19 his 
son, Levi Knight, Jr., was married to Mrs. 



Catherine Si\ers. nee Near. She was a daugh- 
ter of Conrad Near, who was captured by the 
Indians when a Ixjy of ten years and was taken 
to Queljec, where he was held until the close of 
the Revolutionary war. Mrs. Babcock is the 
eldest child of Levi and Catherine Knight 
She early manifested a great love for books and 
throughout her entire life has possessed the 
same interest in study, reading extensively in a 
wide range of literature. Her youthful school 
days were marked by diligence, promptitude, 
efficiency and love of system and a strong de- 
sire for improvement. In 1835 her parents 
came to Michigan, settling in Livingston 
county, where there were no .schools, so that she 
was obliged to study by herself and her text- 
books were very meager and of primitive char- 
acter. When fifteen years of age she began 
teaching and continued that work until the 
death of her mother, when she assumed the re- 
s])onsibilitv' of managing her father's house- 
hold until he was married a second time. On 
the i8th of March. 1841, she gave her hand. in 
marriage to Marvin Babcock, and they began 
their domestic life upon a farm. Four children 
were born of this union : Sarah Catherine, bom 
in 1842. is the wife of Dr. Stevenson, of 
Morence, Michigan, .\lbert, born in 1844. died 
in 1867. George M.. born in 1850, died in 
1853. Charles T.. torn Septemlier 28, 1859, 
has been a trader among the Crow Indians in 
M(jntana for twenty-two years. While on his 
way to an Indian camp with two companions 
during his first year in that state he got lost in 
a blizzard and was out all night. \\^hen cross- 
ing the Yellowstone river his horse broke 
through the ice and in a drenched condition he 
traveled twelve miles to a log cabin, his feet 
being terribly frozen, which still causes him 
much trouble. He was married June 22, 1887, 
to Effie Chandler, of Sharon Center, Ohio, and 
they have one child. May E. Mr. and Mrs. 
Balx-ock celebrated their golden wedding, thus 
traveling life's journey together for a half cen- 
tun,-, sharing w ith each other its joys and sor- 
rows, its ad\ersity and prosperity, their meas- 
ure of love and confidence increasing as the 
years went by. 



84 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



Mr. Babcock spent the last years of his Hfe 
in St. Johns, giving his attention to the super- 
vision of his invested interests which were the 
outcome of his life of industry, perseverance 
and business activity, and he certainly deserved 
all the merit and praise that is implied in the 
term — a self-made man. His was an eventful 
career and in his travels throughout the coun- 
try he learned much of his native land. Read- 
ing kept him in touch with the trend of mod- 
ern thought and he was a student of many of 
the important questions which affect the weal 
or woe of mankind. Since her husband's death 
Mrs. Babcock has continued to reside in St. 
Johns. She has been prominent in all literary 
societies here and in many progressive move- 
ments and still bears the distinction of being 
an honored member and one of the founders of 
the St. Johns Ladies' Library. She was one 
of the promoters of the Ladies' Literary Society 
of St. Johns, which was organized in her house, 
was its president for fourteen years and is still 
one of its executive committee. She has been 
active in Chautauqua circles, in temperance and 
in church work and aid societies. She finds one 
of her chief sources of pleasure in her fine 
library, which she has accumulated as the years 
have gone by. She regards her books as among 
her dearest friends and spends many pleasant 
hours in the companionship of the choice minds 
of the ages. She has one of the finest col- 
lections of Indian curios in the state and has 
a comprehensive knowledge of the tribes repre- 
sented thereby. Her life has been filled with 
many good deeds and both Mr. and Mrs. Bab- 
cock have carved out for themselves a splendid 
place in the world for with limited advantages 
in youth they steadily progressed in that line 
of life demanding strong intellectuality, laud- 
able purpose and consecutive endeavor. 



WILLIAM A. KROM. 

Elsie has a good percentage of retired men — 
men who once active in business life have ac- 
cumulated therein a competence that now en- 



ables them to rest in the enjoyment of a well 
earned ease. To this class belongs Mr. Krom, 
who for many years was prominent and influ- 
ential in commercial and industrial circles en- 
gaged in the manufacture of lumber and in 
farming pursuits, which he followed in Gratiot 
count}-. Since 1849 '^^ '^^^ made his home in 
Michigan, and his birth occurred in Orange 
county. New York, August 14, 1835, so that 
he was fourteen years of age when he came to 
this state. His father was Andrew Krom, 
who was torn in Ulster county, New York, in 
hebaiary, 18 13, and was a son of Henry 
Krom, also a native of that county. He was 
of Holland lineage and the great-grandfather 
of our subject was one of the first settlers of 
Ulster county. Andrew Krom there spent the 
days of his boyhood and youth and after ar- 
riving at years of maturity was married there 
to Miss Hulda Skinner, a native of Orange 
county. New York. He had learned the black- 
smith's trade, which he followed in Orange 
county until 1849, when, attracted by the op- 
portunities of the great and growing west he 
came to Michigan, settling first in Kalamazoo 
county. Here he located on a farm and he 
also engaged in the manufacture of lumber, 
owning and operating a sawmill. He spent 
his last years in Kalamazoo, where he died 
aliout 1885. He was twice married, his first 
wife passing away in 1854. William A. Krom 
is one of four children, of whom three are yet 
living, the others being: George, a farmer re- 
siding in Gratiot county; and Mrs. James 
Clarke, who is also living in Gratiot county. 
The other member of the family was James 
Krom, who grew to manhood and was mar- 
ried, after which he took up his abode in Or- 
ange county. New York, where his death oc- 
curred. 

William A. Krom came to Michigan with 
his parents in 1849. He was reared in Kala- 
mazoo and remained with his father until he 
had attained his majority. He then went to 
Gratiot county, where he took charge of his 
father's lumber business, of which he ulti- 
mately became the owner. He cut lumber and 
was quite successful in the conduct of this en- 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



85 



terprise. His father owned twenty-two eiglily- 
acre tracts of timber land, covered witli a \ery 
dense growth of trees. From tliis land Mr. 
Krom cut his timber for a number of years — 
in fact cleared the entire land in this way. He 
also began the development of a farm, clearing- 
two hundred acres in his homestead place, lie 
still owns this properly, which is now a \alu- 
able and well improved tract of land, pleas- 
antly located within four miles of Elsie. There 
he carried on general farming for a number 
of years, after which he bought a residence in 
Elsie, where he now makes his home. In all 
of his work he was practical, energetic and en- 
terprising, carrying forward to successful com- 
pletion whatever he undertook. As the years 
passed by, owing to his excellent management 
and unfaltering diligence, he acamiulated a 
handsome competence that now enables him to 
live retired. 

In Gratiot county, on the uth of Januaiy, 
1869, Mr. Krom was married to Miss Hettie 
Oberlin, who was bom in Lansing, Michigan, 
and is a daughter of Allen Oberlin, one of the 
first settlers of that city, who later removed 
to Gratiot county. Mr. and Mrs. Krom be- 
came the parents of two daughters: Julia A., 
who married William Snelling, cashier of the 
Fowler Bank, and who died November 26, 
1894; and Man,', wife of E. E. Snelling, a 
farmer and business man of Elsie. Mr. Krom 
was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife 
in 1873, her death occurring in Ovid in De- 
cember of that year, her remains being interred 
in the Ovid cemetery. 

In his political views Mr. Krom is a repub- 
lican, having given earnest and unfaltering 
support to the principles of the party since he 
cast his first presidential ballot for John C. 
Fremont in 1856. He has never failed to vote 
at a presidential election and has been most 
loyal to the principles which he believes con- 
tain the best elements of good government. In 
Gratiot county he served as township treas- 
urer, filling the office for thirteen consecutive 
years. He afterward removed to Ovid in or- 
der that he might educate his daughters, spend- 
ing two years in that place. Returning to his 



farm, however, he was once more called to 
public office, being again elected township 
treasurer. He acted in that capacity until he 
declined to serve longer. He was a delegate 
to \arious state conventions and has aided in 
nominating for a high office a number of the 
distinguished men of the state. He is regarded 
as a local j^olitical leader and in matters of citi- 
zenship is always found progressive and public- 
spirited. He belongs to the Masonic frater- 
nity at lilsie, having been initiated into the 
lodge here. Mr. Krom has led a life of intense 
and well directed activity that has made him 
a useful and prominent citizen. He took a 
very active part in clearing the country of its 
timber and making it suitable for adtivation 
and his efforts have been far-reaching and ben- 
eficial along many lines that have contributed 
to the material, intellectual and political prog- 
ress of this part of the state. 



CLARENCE McFARREN. 

Clarence McFarren, living on section 10, 
Bath township, was born in Washtenaw 
county, Michigan. August 2, 1857. His father, 
John McFarren. a pioneer resident of this state, 
was a native of New York, born in Yates 
count)' in 181 1. and there he was reared and 
married. He wedded Miss Caroline Johnson, 
likewise a native of that county, and in order to 
]irovide for his wife and himself he followed 
the cai-penter's trade, which he had learned in 
early life. In the year 1833, attracted by the 
possibilities of the great and growing west, he 
came to Michigan and was one of the first to 
establish a home within the territorj- of Wash- 
tenaw county. He found here large tracts of 
land covered with the native forests and he 
entered a claim from the government and be- 
gan opening up a fami. He also conducted a 
lumber business, the vast forests of this region 
affording excellent opportunities to the lumber 
manufacturer and Mr. McFarren owned and 
operated a sawmill. He reared his family in 
Washtenaw county and then in 1858 removed 



86 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY 



to Shiawassee county, where he bought one 
hundred and sixty acres of land and began im- 
proving a farm. Still later he sold that property 
and took up his abode in Bath township, Clinton 
county, on the place where his son Clarence 
now resides. He spent his last days here, pass- 
ing away in 1888, while his wife survived him 
until 1889, when she was laid to rest by his 
side in Rose cemetery. In their family were 
nine children, three sons and six daughters, of 
whom the sons and three daughters are )et 
living. 

Clarence McFarren was a youth of thirteen 
years when his parents located upon this farm. 
He is indebted to the public-school system of 
Michigan for the educational privileges he en- 
joyed. In this county he attended district 
school No. TO and through the periods of vaca- 
tion he was actively engaged in assisting his 
father in the farm work and later he cared for 
his parents in their declining years. Succeed- 
ing to the ownership of the old homestead 
property he has further continued the work of 
development and impro\ement and now has a 
splendid farm, on which he has erected a two- 
stor}' brick residence that is one of the pleasant 
features of the lantlscape. He has also built a 
big basement l)arn and has fenced his place, also 
divided it into fields of convenient size in this 
manner. An orchard of his own planting yields 
its fruits in season and the fields return him 
rich harvests. Year after year he has prospered 
and yet his work has not been without its draw- 
backs and difficulties, for in 190T he had a 
large bam destroyed by fire. However, he has 
since built a better one with a basement. He 
owns ninety acres of land with forty acres in 
the home place. 

On the 22d of July, 1882, in Bath township, 
Mr. McFarren was united in marriage to Miss 
Ida M. Thompson, a native of Michigan, her 
birth having occurred in Bath township, Clinton 
county. Her father, Wilbur Thompson, is one 
of the old settlers of the state, coming from 
Pennsylvania to Michigan and on another page 
of this work more extended mention is made 
of him. One child has been born vmto Mr. and 
Mrs. McFarren, Wendell, a young man, who 



assists in the improvement of the home property. 
Politically ^Ir. McFarren is independent, 
supporting men and measures rather than party, 
and while he has never cared for oflfice he has 
serxecl as highway commissioner for two years 
and has for twenty years been a member of 
the sch(jol board, during which time he has 
done effective service for the cause of education, 
wliich finds in him a warm friend. He believes 
in the employment of good teachers and in con- 
tinually raising the standard of the schools and 
he is now chairman of the board. He has 
membership relations with the Maccabees and 
is known as one of the rejjresentative citizens 
of the community, having lived in the county 
from his youth to the present time, during which 
time he has closely adhered to a high standard 
of ethics, living at peace with his fellowmen, 
treating all honorably and fairly in business re- 
lations and proving loyal to the ties of friend- 
shi]). 



JOHN T. ABBOTT, M. D. 

Dr. John T. Abbott, who since 1875 '''^^ ^"" 
gaged in the practice of medicine in Ovid, was 
born in Devonshire, England, Februar)- 21, 
1839, his parents being John and Mary Abbott, 
also natives of England. He began his educa- 
tion in the schools of his native land and when 
a A-oung man of eighteen years came to America, 
sailing up the river St. Lawrence to Lake On- 
tario, landing at Port Hope. He continued his 
journey by rail as far as the Port Hope & 
Lindsay Railroad was completed and this took 
him into the midst of a thickly wooded coun- 
trjr, where he had to hire a team to complete 
the journey to the village of Omemee. There 
he again had to hire teams to drive him into 
Mariposa township, Victoria count)', which was 
his destination. Securing employment as a farm 
hand, he there remained for about four years 
and during the last three years of the time he 
also attended the Oakwood high school, from 
which he was graduated in 1861. After pass- 
ing the county examination he began teaching 
and after one and a half vears he entered the 




UK. J. T. ABBOTT. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



89 



Toronto Normal School, from which he was 
graduated in the junior division in 1864 and in 
the senior division in June, 1865. In that year 
he accepted a position in a Walkerville school 
and finished the last half of the year 1865. He 
then again returned east and for four years was 
engaged in teaching in Haldimand county, On- 
tario. On tlie expiration of that period he 
entered the Victoria University at Toronto to 
study medicine and was graduated in 1872. 
Through the succeeding two years he was in 
Toronto General Hospital and he thereby added 
to his theoretical knowledge the experiences of 
a broad, general hospital practice. Determin- 
ing to remove to the United States he came to 
Clinton county in 1875, settling in Ovid, wiiere 
he has since made his home. 

Dr. Abbott was married July 12. 1879, to 
Miss Clara B. Harrington, a daughter of the 
late De Witt C. Harrington, of Ovid, and they 
have three children, .\nna, Grace and John. 
The daughters are attending the Ypsilanti Nor- 
mal School and in addition to the regular course 
Grace has completed a course in music and is 
an accomplished pianist. She is now teaching 
music at Dearjjorn. Michigan, and is also tak- 
ing instruction on the pipe organ and in vocal 
music. Mrs. Abbott's parents were natives of 
New York state and were among the early 
settlers of ^Michigan, botli tlie tatiier and mother 
coming with their respective ixu^ents to this 
state when children, settling in Oakland county, 
near New Hudson, .\fter their marriage they 
removed to .'^iiiawas.see county, where they re- 
sided on a farm for a number of years but sub- 
sequently they took up tiieir abode in Ovid. 
Clinton county, where the father died, leaving 
a widow and ffiur children, of whom three 
daughters yet survive, namely: Mrs. J. T. 
Abl)Ott, with whom tlie mother resided until 
called to her Final rest; Mrs. Cornelia Hutchins, 
of Ovid; and Mrs. Edward Conant, of Owosso. 
Mrs. Ablx>tt is among the earnest church work- 
ers of the Metho<list denomination at Ovid and 
does all in her power to promote the growth and 
insure the success of the church. She has been 
matron of the Eastern Star lodge and a promi- 
nent worker in the order. 



Dr. Abbott holds memliership in Ovid lodge, 
No, 27, A. F. & A. M. ; Ovid chapter. R. A. 
M. ; St. Johns commandery, K. T. ; and Ovid 
court, A. O. U. W., of which he is court ex- 
aminer. He has been a member of the com- 
mandery for over twenty years. During his 
residence in this county he has gained and re- 
tained a prominent place in professional circles 
accorded him by reason of his skill and pro- 
ficiency as a medical and surgical practitioner. 
He has very closely adhered to a high standard 
of professional ethics and his growing practice 
is an indication of the trust reposed in him by 
the communitv at large. 



HENRY E. WALBRIDGE. 

Henry E. Walbridge is a representative of 
a family whose history is one of close connec- 
tion with the annals of the Qinton county bar 
and who because of research and provident care 
in the preparation of his ca.ses has gained a 
position of distinction as a practitioner in St. 
Johns. He is a native of Glover. Vermont, 
Ixirn March 31, 1850, and was only alxiut two 
years old when lirougbt to Michigan by his 
parents. Captain Henry and Zilpah ( .\llen) 
Walbridge. of whom personal mention is made 
on another page of this volume. His father 
was a leading lawyer of central Michigan and 
his mother, a native of V^emiont. belonged to 
the same family of which General Ethan .\llen, 
the hero of Ticonderoga. was a member. Of 
the three surviving members of the family of 
Captain Henry Walbridge, Henr}' E. of this 
review is the eldest. His brother, Edward L., 
is also a practicing attorney of St. Johns, while 
tlie sister, Mrs. Ella De May, is living in Jack- 
son. Michigan. 

The early boyhood days of Henrv- E. Wal- 
bridge were spent in Saline. Michigan, and 
when five years of age he came with the family 
to St. Johns, where he pursued his early educa- 
tion in the Union school and in St. Johns high 
school. Having prepared for college, at the 
age of seventeen he matriculated in Olivet Col- 



90 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



lege, wliere he pursued a scientific course, and 
tlien entered ujion the study of law in the office 
and under the direction of his father, being- thus 
truly favored in his tutelage. The week after 
attaining his majority he was admitted to the 
bar and also to a partnership with his father. 
a relation which continued until his father re- 
moved to Ithaca, Michigan, in 1890. The son 
at that time entered into partnership with 
General O. L. Spaulding, but at the expiration 
of two years the relationship was discontinued 
and Mr. W'albridge practiced alone until May. 
1893. when he became associated with J. 11. 
Federoa, with whom he continued until the lat- 
ter's death in January, 1901. He then formed 
a partnership with his brother, Edward L. Wal- 
bridge, but in May, 1905. the business relation 
between them was discontinued and they are 
both practicing alone in St. Johns. 

In 1872 Henrv- E. Walbridge was elected cir- 
cuit court commissioner, which positicin he filled 
for six years. He has been retained either as 
counsel for the prosecution or defense in nu- 
merous important cases tried in the supreme 
court and has won almost every case through 
the carefulness and thoroughness of his prepar- 
ation to facilitate his strength in argument and 
his thorough familiarity with the principles of 
jurisprudence. He stands among the men who 
are in the front rank of professional progress. 
He is widely known in the legal fraternity 
through his agency in establishing the law in 
Michigan upon many points, reaching many de- 
cisions which have served as precedence. He 
practices in the courts of Clinton and all ad- 
joining counties and has a distinctively repre- 
sentative clientage. At no time has his reading 
ever been confined to the limitations of the 
questions at issue ; it has gone beyond and com- 
passed every contingency and provided not alone 
for the expected but for the unexpected, which 
happens in the courts quite as frequently as out 
of them. He is now a member of the State 
Bar Association. 

Mr. Walbridge is an enthusiastic republican, 
active and courageous in support of the party 
principles yet having no desire for political 
preferment as he wishes to concentrate his 



energies upon his professional duties. He, 
however, is interested in all matters of local and 
public progress and has been especially helpful 
in movements for the benefit and tipbuilding of 
St. Johns. 

On the i8th of October. 1896, Mr. Wal- 
bridge was married to Miss Jessie Smead Cald- 
well, of St. Johns. By a previous marriage he 
has two daughters, Neva T. and Mabel S. 
Especially modest in his bearing and considerate 
of others, there is. however, no vacillating in 
his adherence to a cause to which he gives his 
support or a principle in which he believes. 
His acquaintance in St. Johns is wide and 
fa^■oral)le and his position in legal circles is 
the ultimate result of his capability in the line 
of his chosen profession. 



ALBERT L. VAN SICKLE. 

Thoroughly progressive and modem in all his 
methods of fanning .Vlbert L. Van Sickle is 
successfully conducting his home place of one 
hundred and seventy-four acres which lies par- 
tially in Clinton antl partially in Gratiot county 
within two miles of Maple Rapids. He was. 
torn in Essex township, Clinton countv. Octo- 
ber 2, 1862. His paternal grandfather was 
Cornelius Van Sickle, who became an early set- 
tler of Ohio, whence he afterward removed to 
Michigan, casting in his lot with die pioneers of 
Clinton county. He established his home in the 
town of Essex and met the usual experiences 
and hardships of life on the frontier but aided 
in laying broad and deep the foundation for the 
present prosperity and progress of the county. 
His son, Lyman Van Sickle, was born in Ohio 
in 1834 and was reared to manhood in this 
county amid frontier environments. He wedded 
]\Iiss Alartha McPherson. who was bom in 
Ohio and came to. Michigan with her father, 
Stephen McPherson, who was another of the 
old settlers of Michigan, living in Esse.x town- 
ship. Lyman Van Sickle became a farmer of 
Essex township and there devoted his energies 
to agricultural pursuits until 1861, when he- 




A. L. \'AX SICKLE AND FAMILY. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



93 



joined Company G, of the Fifth Michigan Cav- 
aln-. He was taken prisoner at the battle of 
Gettyslnirg and incarcerated at Andcrsonville, 
where he died on the 31st of August. 1863. His 
wife survived him and reared tlieir family, 
doing a mother's full duty toward the little ones 
left to her care. 

.Mbert L. Van Sickle was only about a year 
old at the time of his father's death. He spent 
his youth in Essex township and was educated 
in the schools of Maple Rapids. Later he be- 
came identified with commercial interests in the 
village, conducting a general store and later a 
hardware business. Sulisequently he sold out 
and tCN^k up his abode upon a farm but after- 
ward again embarked in general merchandising 
and was thus connected with commercial in- 
terests in Maple Rapids for seven years. On 
again disposing of his stock of goods he located 
on his fann and now gives his time and atten- 
tion to general agricultural pursuits and stock- 
raising. He now owns one hundred and 
.seventy-four acres of land lying partially in 
Clinton antl partially in Gratiot county and con- 
stituting a very valuable and productive farm, 
which in its neat and thrifty ap])earance indi- 
cates his careful supervision and practical 
methotls. 

Mr. Van Sickle was married in Maple Rapids, 
in 1885, to Miss Fannie S. Moss, who was 
bom and reared in this county, pursuing her 
education in the schools of Maple Rapids, after 
which she engaged in teaching prior to her mar- 
riage, llcr father. Hiram I^. Moss, was an- 
other worthy pioneer settler of the county. Mr. 
and Mrs. \^an Sickle have become the parents 
of eight children, Inez. Moss, Glen, Hazel, 
Harry. i';iul. Florence and Gerald. 

Mr. \an Sickle votes with the democratic 
party where national issues are involved but 
wisely disregards party ties at local elections 
where there is no jxilitical issue before the peo- 
ple and only the capability of the candidate 
.should be considered. 1 le believes in good 
schools and the employment of competent teach- 
ers and is now serving tor the second term as 
a member of the school board. He belongs to 
the Knights of the Maccaliees. a fraternal insur- 
ance organization, and also carries insurance in 



some of the old-line companies. He is a man 
of good business ability, active, diligent and 
prosperous, and has always Iseen connected with 
Clinton county and its people so that his life 
histon,- is well known to his fellow townsmen 
and that he has made a creditable record is indi- 
cated by the fact that many of his stanchest 
friends are those who ha\e known him from his 
lx)yhood to the present time. 



LEVI P. PARTLOW. 

Levi P. Partlow is one of the native sons of 
Clinton county who has demonstrated the pos- 
sibility for successful achievement along agri- 
cultural lines. He resides on section 32, Eagle 
townshi[), where he has valuable property inter- 
ests, his farm returning to him a very gratify- 
ing annual income. He was born upon this 
farm July 26, 1846, his parents being Palmer 
and Eliza ( Sanders) Partlow, both of whom 
were natives of St. I^wrence county. New 
^'ork. The paternal grandfather. Ransom 
Partlow, was a native of Scotland, and died in 
St. Lawrence county, while the maternal grand- 
father. David Sanders, was bom in the Empire 
state. He followed the lumber business there 
and afterward in Gratiot county, Michigan. 

Sub,sef|uent to their marriage Mr. and Mrs. 
Palmer Partlow came to Clinton county. Michi- 
gan, and settled on the farm now owned by 
their son I^vi. The tract of land was wild 
when it came into their possession and the 
father cut the first stick of timber there in 
1840. His remaining days were passed upon 
this place and he performed a helpful part in 
the work of early progress and improvement, re- 
claiming the wild land for the purposes of 
civilization. He was also active in public affairs, 
and took the contract for carPi-ing the United 
States mail. He was a devoted member and 
active worker of the Methodist Episcopal 
church and was prominent in all that pertained 
to the material, intellectual and moral progress 
of his community. In connection with his farm- 
ing interests he ojjerated a threshing machine 
for .some vears and he was classed with the 



94 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



sturdy pioneer settlers tlinaigli whose efforts 
was laid broad and fleep the foundation upon 
which has been built the superstructure of the 
county's present prosperity and progress. He 
was in limited financial circumstances when he 
came to the west but as the years passed by he 
prospered in his undertakings and as his means 
permitted he displayed a very benevolent and 
charitable spirit, the poor and needy finding in 
him a warm friend. He was also well liked, 
was popular with his fellow townsmen and 
made a most honorable record so that he left his 
family the priceless heritage of an untarnished 
name. He died in 1884, at the age of eighty 
years, while his wife passed away in 1894, at 
the age of seventy-nine years. In their family 
were six children, of whom I^vi P. is the 
youngest and only one other, John, of Eagle 
township, is now living. Those deceased are : 
Samantha, who was the wife of Matthew 
Davenport, of Eagle township; Maranda, the 
wife of James Dewitt, of Eagle township: 
Almond, who died in the village of Eagle in 
July, 1903; and Jonathan, a twin brother, of 
John, who died at the age of eight years. 

Levi P. Partlow ]nirsued his education in a 
select school conducted by J. V. Jones and also 
in the local district schools. He has always 
resided upon tlie old homestead farm. His 
father first settled here on twenty-two and a 
half acres of land but increased his holdings 
until he had nearly three hundred acres, which 
is the present extent of the farm. When 
eighteen years of age Levi P. Partlow took 
charge of the home place because of his father's 
ill health, first operating it on the shares but 
eventually he became the owner and now con- 
tinues the cultivation and improvement of the 
property which is to-day one of the finest farms 
in Clinton county. He built a modern brick 
residence in 1900, having all the conveniences 
of a city home, this replacing his farm residence, 
which was destroyed by fire. The barns and 
other outbuildings are thoroughly modern and 
are commodious, furnishing ample shelter for 
grain and stock. Mr. Partlow is one of the 
few native sons who desire to cling to his na- 
tive heath instead of seeking the seeming 



changes of the outside world, and his choice 
was a wise one, for in the control of his farm- 
ing interests here he has won success, gaining 
a \ery desirable competency. He was also en- 
al;led to care for his parents until the close of 
their lives, which gave to him much satisfaction 
in the di.scharge of this duty. He has always 
taken a deep and helpful interest in matters per- 
taining to the general welfare and in 1900 he 
served as chairman of the building committee 
at the time of the erection of the new brick 
Methodist Episcopal church in his neighbor- 
hood. It is a fine structure for a country 
churcli and is known as the Union Cemetery 
church. Mr. Partlow also takes pride in the 
improvement of Union Cemetery, which was 
established by his father and neighbors when 
the land throughout this territory was wild and 
unimproved. Whatever pertains to the general 
welfare or upbuilding elicits his attention and 
support and he has co-operated in many pro- 
gressi\e pulilic measures. 

His activit}- in political circles has also been 
licneficial. He was the first postmaster of the 
Ri\er Bend postofhce, established on his farm, 
apiKiinted under Randolph Strickland during 
President Grant's administration. He acted in 
tliat capacity for twelve years or until the post- 
office was discontinued on account of change 
in route. He has also been justice of the peace 
for se\eral terms, a member of the board of 
review aufl highway commissioner, but still 
greater ])olitical honors have been conferred 
upon liini for in 1903 he was elected to repre- 
sent Clinton county in the state legislature and 
was re-elected in 1904. In the first year he re- 
ceived a majority of six hundred and fifty and 
the second year of foiu'teen hundred — a fact 
which is indicative of his personal popularity, 
the confidence reposed in him by his fellow 
townsmen and his fidelity to duty. He proved 
an acti\e working member of the house, being 
connected with considerable constructive legis- 
lature and he introduced and supported a num- 
l;er of important bills there which were carried 
through successfully. 

On the I ith of .Kugaist. 1867, Mr. Partlow 
was united in marriage to Miss Mary J. Blasier, 



PAST AND PRKSENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



95 



a (laughter of Peter ami l'hc)el)e (Johnson) 
Blasier, of Oneida township. Raton county. 
Michigan. Her father, as well as Mr. Part- 
low's father, was among the first settlers of 
the locality and thev were great friends. The 
children of this marriage are as follows : Levi 
Blaiser Partlnw. living on the home farm, 
wedded Mary Stokes, a daughter of David 
Stokes, of Eaton county, l^armie died at the 
age of eight years, .\fter the death of Parmie 
;i little girl was taken in the hfime. Annie 
Tillman, who is now the wife of Charles Rath- 
foot, and they have two children. Harold and 
Dorotliea. 

Mr. Partlow is a member of the Methodist 
Episcopal church and also of the Masonic fra- 
ternity. He is a stalwart and unflagging cham- 
pion of temperance principles and belongs to the 
In(lc|iendent Order of Good Templars. His 
position on this question is never an equivocal 
one for he stands strong in supjxirt of the tem- 
perance movement and is opposed to the liquor 
traffic. .\11 wild know him resjject him for 
his fidelity to his honest convictions and he is 
to-day one of the prominent and distingui.shed 
residents of Clinton county, who.se public record 
has been of value to the county which has 
honored him by high political preferment. 



HOMER BR.VZEE. 



It is a noticeable fact that the successful men 
of tlie day are those to whom satietv ever lies 
in the future and to whom amljition continu- 
ally ]ioints out the way for further accomplish- 
ment. .\ representative of this class of men is 
found in Homer P> razee, one of the successful 
merchants of Dewitt. who fur thirteen years has 
conducted a general store in this \illage. He 
is a native of Barry county. .Michigan. Ix-)rn 
June 27, 1866, and is a son of Henry Brazee, 
who was lx)rn in New York, while his father. 
John Brazee. was a native of I'rance. The 
great-grandfather. John Brazee. Sr.. was like- 
wise Iiorn in France and became a sailor, 
eventually serving in the I'nited States navy in 



the w,ir iif the Kevdhuion. Subsequently he 
settled in .\ew N'ork. becoming a loyal citizen 
of the new reiniblic. 

Jdhn linizcc. jr.. was one of the first settlers 
lit Lenawee county. Michig;in. where Henry 
1 '.razee was born and reared, .\fter reaching 
adult age he married Maria McConnell. who 
is likewise a native of Lenawee county and the 
young couple began their domestic life upon 
a farm, which he dwiicd and operated in .'\dams 
townshi]). 'Hiere he reared his family and 
spent his life. ])assing away in August. 1899. 
His widow still survives and now lives with a 
daughter at .\nn .Xrlior. Michigan. Homer 
Brazee is one of a familv of two sons and five 
daughters. His brother Alark is a farmer of 
Wayne county, while his sister Ida is the wife 
of .\lbert Mar.sh. of Adrian. Michigan, and 
Emma is the wife of .\lonzo Jones, of Wash- 
ington. D. C. Bertha. Ella and Maude reside 
with their modier in Ann .\rbor. Michigan. 

l'])(in his father's farm in Lenawee county 
Homer Brazee s])ent the days of his toyhood 
and youth, early becoming familiar with all 
the duties and labors that fall to the lot of the 
agriculturist. He acquired his education at 
.\drian high .schrxil and when a voung man 
entered a flouring mill, in which he learned the 
trade. He was subsequently enipldved in the 
-Adrian mills for ten years, on the expiration of 
which period he came to Dewitt. where for six 
years he was in charge of the rolling mills. 
Forming a partnershi]) with Willis McLouth. 
he next opened a grocery store and they have 
since built up a good business, e.xtenfling the 
field of their Dperations by adding a stock 
of general merchandise. They have now se- 
cured ;i liberal patronage and have gained a 
most commendable reputation for fair ilealing 
as well as for the excellent line which they 
carry. Mr. P.razce is active manager of the 
sinre and its success is attributable in large 
measure to his entei"])rise. keen discernment and 
watchfulness of opportunities. 

On the 1st of June. 1893. in .\drian Mr. 
Brazee was married to Miss Carrie Brush, a 
native of I^nawee county, who was reared and 
educated in .Adrian. He belongs to the Masonic 
fraternitv. having attained the Master Mason's 



96 



PAST AXD PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



degree in blue lodge at Dewitt, wliile he and 
his wife are affiliated with the Eastern Star 
here. His entire life has been pas.sed in Michi- 
gan and for fifteen years he has lived in Clin- 
ton county. He is well known in St. Johns 
and Lansing and throughout this part of Clinton 
county and is a representative Inisiness man, 
alert, energetic and determined in all that he 
does. 



GEORGE \V. EMMONS. 

George W. Emmons, -who bears the distinc- 
tion of having been the first settler within what 
is now the corporate limits of St. Johns and 
who is a self-made man. obtaining a comfort- 
able competence through honorable methods and 
unflagging diligence, was born in Seneca county, 
New York, September 12, 1823. His parents 
were Phelanous and Susan Emmons, the for- 
mer a native of Pennsylvania and the latter 
of N^ew "S'ork. Little is known concerning the 
ancestral history of the family. The father died 
in the Empire state at the age of fifty years, 
after which the mother came to Michigan, and 
for twenty years prior to her death resided in 
Bingham township, at the home of her son 
George W., departing this life April 9, 1890, 
at the very ad\anced age of ninety-five years. 

The early youth of George W. Emmons was 
a period of earnest and unremitting toil. When 
thirteen years of age he was bound out to 
George Rogers, of Oakland county, with whom 
he remained until at the age of twenty-one 
years. He worked for him constantly during 
all of that time and when he had obtained his 
majority Mr. Rogers gave Mr. Emmons eighty 
acres of land where St. Johns now stands. He 
at once began clearing and imiM'oving this tract, 
from which he cut cord wood and from its sale 
and through other means he managed to save 
aliout fifty dollars jier year until he had earned 
enough to purchase forty acres more. Again he 
began saving and when he had accumulated a 
sufficient amount he once more added a forty- 
acre tract to his land so that his fann was one 



hundred and sixty acres in extent. It was en- 
tirely covered with timber when it came into 
his possession but it is now one of the most 
highly cultivated tracts of land in Clinton 
county. Over one-half of this is within the city 
limits of St. Johns and has been sold off in acre 
lots. The remainder is under a very high state 
of cultivation. Every acre but twenty was 
cleared of the timber and transformed into a 
cultivable tract from which annually rich har- 
vests ^\■ere gathered in reward for the care and 
labor which ]\Ir. Emmons bestowed upon his 
fields. He has been a careful and painstaking 
man, avoiding debt, following honorable prin- 
ciples, and his accumulations ha\e grown under 
careful management and the husbanding of his 
resources. Fortune in the way of good crops 
has fa\ored this pioneer from the start and his 
realty and personal possessions are represented 
now by a considerable figvu'e. He was one of 
the founders and is still a stockholder and di- 
rector of the St. Johns State Bank. 

When he came to St. Johns more than a half 
century ago there were no roads cut through 
the site of the present city and in fact there were 
but two roads in the county. Within forty 
feet, in sight of his present ])alatial home, built 
alxiut twenty years ago, he cut trees and built 
his first log shanty. The next morning after 
he had felled a cluster of trees, intending to con- 
struct his cabin home upon the site, he found 
that the ground was cox'ered with the tracks of 
deer, which were still quite numerous in the 
forests, while other kinds of game and also 
many wild animals were often killed in the 
neighborhood. The work of progress and im- 
provement had scarcely been begun antl all 
around stood the green forests, inviting the 
labor of the lumberman and the agriculturist. 
.-\s Mr. Emmons" early years were spent in 
arduous toil he had little chance of acquiring an 
education. More than (^nce he walked to Oak- 
land county, a distance of eighty miles, and 
back in early days. He was an expert hunter 
in his manhood and he often supplied his table 
with meat as a result of the chase. In later 
years he has indulged in his favorite sport in 
the wilds of northern Michigan. 




GliORGE W. EMMONS. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



99 



Mr. Emmons is an unusually well preserved 
man, still acti\e and energetic. He has never 
found need for eye glasses and in his l:)eautiful 
home in St. Johns he is enjoying the fruits nf 
his lahir. lie bears the distinction of being the 
first settler within the corporation limits of the 
count}' seat and is one of the three oldest 
pioneers of Clinton county, his colleagues being 
John H. Corbitt and George Estes. His mind 
bears the impress of many events which ha\e 
shaped the history of the county and he is re- 
garded as authority upon the early annals of 
this section of the state. Politically he has 
always been a democrat and in the early days 
of his residence iiere he served as a member of 
the village board of St. Johns for seven years 
and \vas assessor for one year. 

In November, 185 1, Mr. Emmons was united 
in marriage to Miss Man,- Jane Norton, a 
daughter of Bishop Norton, of Dewitt town- 
ship. She died after twelve years, leaving two 
children : Ella, who died at the age of thirteen 
years; and an infant. For his secoiul wife Mr. 
Emmons chose Mrs. Cornelia Pate, of Wayne, 
Michigan, who died six years later. In i86t 
he wedded Mary Jane Qiase. of Detroit, and 
unto them were born three sons and two daugh- 
ters: Mrs. Mary E. Wegner. now of Canada; 
Walter, who is living in Lansing, Michigan; 
Frederick C, of St. Johns; Mrs. Grace C. Hen- 
derson, of Pontiac; and Clarence H.. also of 
St. Johns. 

Many decades have passed since Mr. Emmons 
came from the east to cast in his lot with the 
pioneer settlers of Clinton county. People of 
the present age can scarcely realize the strug- 
gles and dangers which attended the early set- 
tlers, the heroism and self-sacrifice of lives 
passed upon tlie borders of civilization, the 
hardships endured, the difficulties overcome. 
These tales of the early days will be almost like 
a romance to those who have known only the 
modem prosperity and convenience. To the 
pioneer of early times, far removed from the 
privileges and conveniences of city or town, the 
struggle for existence was a stem and hard 
one, and these men and women must have pos- 
sessed indomitable energy and sterling worth 



of character as well as marked physical courage 
when they thus voluntarily selected such a life 
and successfully fought its battles under the 
conditions that then prevailed in Michigan and 
other states of the Northwest Territory. 



EDWARD L, WALBRIDGE. 

Edward L. W'alhridge, one of the prominent 
representatives of tlie Clinton county bar, is a 
native of St. Johns, his birth having occurred 
in this city, November i, 1856. His father, 
the late Captain Henry Walbridge, was a na- 
tive of Vermont and his mother, whose maiden 
name was Zilpah Allen, was a descendant of 
the renowned Colonel Ethan Allen, who with 
his "Green Mountain boys" won distinction 
in the Revolutif>nary war. Edward Walbridge 
spent his early life in the city of his nativity, 
entering the public schools at the usual age 
and passing through successive grades until he 
had completed the high-school course. He then 
studied in the University of Michigan and 
.'ifterward prepared for the practice of law by 
reading in his father's office. He was admit- 
ted to the bar February 17, 1879, before Judge 
l^)uis S. Lovell, of St. Johns. Previous to this 
time, however, he had served as deputy post- 
master of the city for a year. Following his 
admission to the bar he entered immediately 
upon the practice of law and in the succeeding 
fall he was elected circuit court commissioner 
of Clinton county, holding the ofSce from 1880 
until 1882. In 1883 he removed to Ithaca, 
Michigan, where for five years he ser\'ed as 
village attorney. He was then elected circuit 
court commissioner of Gratiot county for a 
tenn of two years and for a brief period he 
held office outside of the strict path of his pro- 
fession, being president of the Ithaca school 
board. 

Soon after he located in Ithaca the con- 
stmction of the Toledo, Ann Arbor & North- 
ern Michigan Railroad was begun through the 
county and Mr. Walbridge was retained in 
over twenty injunction suits b*''^ught to the 



lOO 



I'AST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



circuit court against the proprietors of the 
road — cases which attracted widespread atten- 
tion. The company having violated injunc- 
tions against laying its tracks, Mr. W'aibridge 
and his clients tore up the tracks and burned 
the ties and as a result both the attorney and 
his clients were arrested at the instance of the 
company. However, he was absolutely certain 
of his ground before he acted and this was soon 
admitted by the abandonment of criminal pro- 
ceedings by the railroad corporation. The 
contest for the company's right of way con- 
tinued and after being thrice lieaten by Mr. 
Walljridge in its litigated interests in the courts 
the company settled with his clients in full, 
paying all costs and attorney fees, and further 
recognized Mr. W'albridge's ability by appoint- 
ing him local counsel for the road. He held 
that position for two years and tried various 
important cases for the company. 

In 1886 Mr. Walljridge, at Detroit, was ad- 
mitted to practice in the United States circuit 
and district courts before Judge Henry 
Brown, associate justice of the United States 
supreme court. Four years later he fomied a 
partnership with James Clarke, then prosecut- 
ing attorney and served as his assistant until 
the partnership was dissolved in 1892. In May 
of that year he removed to Grand Rapids, 
where he entered into partnership relations 
with his brother, H. E. Walbridge. with whom 
he continued for a year, and who, on the expi- 
ration of that period, returned to St. Johns. 
He enjoyed an extensive practice in Grand 
Rapids for six years, his successful work as as- 
sistant prosecuting attorney of Kent county 
bringing him considerable reputation and the 
Kent County Humane Societ\- passed a resolu- 
tion in commendation of his work. In 181^^ 
he was elected a meml^er of the State Bar As- 
sociation, with which he is still connected. 

Tt was in that year that Mr. W'aibridge en- 
tered into partnershi]) with J. T. McAlister. 
which relation was terminated by the appoint- 
ment of the former on the ist of March, 1894, 
to the office of assistant prosecuting attorney 
by .-Mfred Wolcott, then prosecuting attorney 
of Kent county, which ]josition he he'd until 



June 1, i8t)0, wlien he resigned. That appoint- 
ment came to him unsolicited and was a pub- 
lic recognition of his ability in the line of his 
chosen profession. He has practiced largely 
in the circuit and supreme courts and has made 
a splendid reputation as a trial lawyer. In 
the i^reparation of cases he is most thorough 
and exhaustive and seems almost intuitively to 
grasp the strong points of law and fact. No 
detail seems to escai>e him and every point is 
given its due prominence in the case, which 
is argued with such skill, abilit\ and ixiwer 
that he rarely fails to gain the verdict desired. 
He is a ])o])ular and magnetic speaker and is 
often called u])on to deliver memorial and other 
]iublic addresses. 

The position accorded Mr. Walbridge by his 
professional colleagues was indicated by the 
resolutions of respect read in open court upon 
his removal from Ithaca and signefl by all of 
the attorneys of the twenty-ninth judicial dis- 
trict, the presiding judge and the various 
count}- officers, while a copy of these resolu- 
tions were filed with the clerk of the court and 
an engrossed copy was presented to Mr. Wal- 
liridge. On the 26th of September. 1896, he 
formed a partnership with William P. Belden 
which continued for a brief period. In 1898, 
howe\er, he removed to Newport News, Vir- 
ginia, where he practiced with conspicuous suc- 
cess until 1902, when he returned to his old 
home and until May 1. 1905, was in partner- 
ship with his brother under the firm style of 
H. E. & E. L. Walbridge, but he is now prac- 
ticing alone. .At Newport News he was ten- 
dered a farewell banquet by the Huntington 
i\L"pul)licau Clul), the largest political organiza- 
tion in the south, upon his removal from that 
citv. On the ist of May, 1905, he was ap- 
pointed city attorney by Mayor J. W. Fitzger- 
ald and unaniniousl}- ci^nfirmcd by the council. 
Mr. Walbridge lias always been a stalwart re- 
l)ul)lican — a recognized leader in tlic ranks of 
his ])artv in Michigan — and in 1904 he was the 
]M-csident of the Theodore Roosevelt Club of 
St. Johns and Clinton county. He was selected 
bv the Huntington Club, of NewjKirt News, 
\'irginia. to deliver tlie memorial address on 



PAST AiXn PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



lOI 



President McKiiiley and to draft tlie resnlu- 
tiitns coininemorative of his life. Durin_sj tlie 
presidential campaign of 1904 he put in thirty 
continuous days speakin.sc in Michigan under a 
contract with the republican state connnittec. 
who highly recommended his work. 

On the nth of February. 1880, Mr. Wal- 
bridge was married to Miss Mary Tupping, a 
daughter of Dr. (i. W. 'rni)])ing. of Hewitt, 
one of the prominent physicians ot the state. 
They now ha\e a daughter. Zoe Alberta, lioth 
Mr. and Mrs. W'albridge hold membershii) in 
the Congregational church and his fraternal 
relations connect him with the Knights of 
Pythias. He is one of the most scholarly and 
elo(|uent mem))ers of the Clinton count\- bar 
with extensive experience in all branches of the 
law. while his connection with pri\ale i)rac- 
tice and municijial serxice ha\c made him at 
home in every phase of the ])rofession. He 
stands to-day as one of the most prominent 
lawvers in central Michigan and in i)rivate as 
well as public life is lionored and res])ected by 
all will I know him. 



E. W. GAY. 



v.. W. Ga\' is too well known in Elsie tii 
need any introductii>n to the readers of this 
volume. He is a practical mechanic, who has 
engaged in wagon-making and repair work for 
alx)ut forty years. He is numbered among 
the old settlers of the state, having resided 
within its borders since 1853. while his resi- 
dence in Clinton county dates from 1862. .\ 
native of Pennsylvania, his birth occurred in 
Mercer county, on the 8th of October. 1830. 
His father, \\'illiam Gay, was a native of Mas- 
sachusetts but in early manhood went to Penn- 
sylvania and was married there to Edna Gay. 
.\ mechanic and wheelwright, he was employefl 
at his trade in various ]jarts of the Keystone 
.state and in Canada, while his last years were 
spent in Ohio. In his family were thirteen 
cliildren, of whom E. \V. and James are resi- 
dents of Clinton county, while Sylvester is in 



the state of Washingltjn. He is the eldest of 
the family and is a great traveler, having visited 
many parts of this c<iunlr\-. He was also a 
soldier of the Civil war. 

1". W. Gay si)ent the days of his childhood 
;niil \-outh in Summit county, Ohio, where he 
learned the wheelwright's trade. He was also 
bound out for four _\eai"s. during which time 
he worked at wagon-making and repairing and 
thus gained a knowledge of the pursuits that 
he has made a life work. 

In 1 85 1, in Trumbull county, Ohio, Mr. Gay 
was married to Miss Caroline Tiffany, a native 
of the Buckeye state, and a daughter of Squire 
Tiffany, who was a Revolutionarv' soldier and 
lived to the extreme old age of one hundred 
\ears, his death occurring in Batavia. New 
\'ork. Mr. Gay removed to Michigan in 1853, 
settling first in .\ugusta. Kalamazoo county, 
where he opened a wagun .sh<jp, working at his 
trade there for eleven years. In 1863 he came 
to Elsie, being one of the tirst to locate in this 
town which was then situated in the midst of 
the forest and was little more than a hamlet. 
He started a shop here and liegan business, in 
which he continued for thirty-hve ye;irs. He 
built farm and express wagons and did repair 
work in this line. U'ithin three years he manu- 
factured one hundred and thirty wagons, em- 
ploying .several men. He afterward sold his 
])lace of business to the Odd Fellows, who 
erected their hall here for he was the owner 
of one of the best business sites in the town of 
Elsie. He later started a shop on his residence 
lot and did some reiKur work here. He is in- 
deed one of the worthy representatives of in- 
dustrial interests in F.Isie and in his life ex- 
emplifies the term "dignity of labor." His 
energy and perseverance have been strong ele- 
ments in his character and have enabled him to 
overcome difhculties and obstacles so that he 
has worked his way gradually upward to suc- 
cess. 

In the fall of 190J Mr. Gay was called upon 
to mourn the loss of his wife. He has two 
living children but one daughter. Edna, reached 
womanhood, married and passed away. Emma 
is now the wife of Adell)ert Baker, who is 



I02 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



engaged in the hotel business at Lakewood; a 
summer resort in Oconto county, Wisconsin. 
They have a daughter, Nina, who is now the 
wife of Leo Fitzgerald, of Wisconsin, and has 
one son. Lafayette B. Gay, a painter by trade, 
is a fine workman and resides in Elsie with his 
father. He spent four years in Oregon, where 
he took a claim which he afterward sold, re- 
turning to this county in order to make his 
home with Mr. Gay. 

\\'^hen the republican party placed its first 
canditlate in the field E. W. Gay announced 
himself as a champion of the new organization 
and cast his ballot for John C. Fremont. He 
has never failed to vote for each of its presi- 
dential candidates since that time and has 
greatly desired the success and growth of the 
party but has never sought office for himself 
nor would he ever consent to become a candidate 
for political preferment. He is a member of 
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in 
wliich he has filled all of the chairs and is now 
a past grand. In the encampment he has like- 
wise been honored with various offices and is 
now high priest. He has also represented the 
lodge in the grand lodge of the state and he 
attends the Baptist church. Fifty-two years 
have come and gone since he located in Michi- 
gan and during forty-three years he has lived 
in Elsie, taking an active part in the upbuilding 
of the town and supporting each progressive 
measure for its improvement. Indeed he is re- 
garded as cjue of the useful men of the county 
and one whose integrity and worth of character 
entitle him to the unqualified friendship which 
is so uniformly accorded him by tliose with 
whom he is associated. 



ALMOND G. SHEPARD. 

Almond G. Shepard was bom November i8, 
1873, in Shepardsville, Clinton county, Michi- 
gan, which town was named in honor of his 
father, William H. Shepard. The paternal an- 
cestors came originally from Holland and later 
from Pennsylvania. William H. Shepard re- 



moved from the east to Michigan, becoming 
an early resident of Clinton county, and he was 
prominently connected with public life in many 
ways, being one of the first county judges, also 
a pioneer merchant and miller. A man of 
generous impulses and Ijenevolent spirit, he gave 
liberally to the poor and did much for the early 
settlers of his community. He was married 
three times, and by his union with Miss So- 
phronia Crow had eight children. For his third 
wife he chose Mrs. Catherine Pooley, her 
maiden name being Knucke. She was born in 
England and came of a family prominent in 
that country. She first married Samuel Pooley, 
by whom she had five children. One daughter, 
Cora, is now the wife of Gtorge Pannenter, a 
resident of Shepardsville. Unto William H. 
and Catherine Shepard were born two children : 
Albert H., now living in Phoenix, British Co- 
lumbia : and Almond G. The father died when 
the younger son was but nine years of age, 
passing away in 1882, at the age of sixty-six 
3-ears. His widow still sun-ives and makes her 
home in Ovid. 

Almond G. Shepard acquired his education 
in the common schools of the home district and 
afterward attended the high school at Ovid, to 
wliich place he had to walk three miles from the 
farm. He was likewise a student in Baker's 
Business College in 1892-3 and afterward went 
to Chicago, where he remained for six months. 
He entered upon the study of law in the 
University of Michigan in the fall of 1893 and 
was graduated in June, 1895. In September of 
the same year he came to Ovid and opened a law 
office, in which he has since remained in prac- 
tice. He has been very successful in winning 
cases before the supreme court and has a liberal 
clientage of a distinctively representative char- 
acter. His ability being quickly recognized, he 
has been connected with much of the impor- 
tant litigation tried in the courts of his district 
in recent years. He gives his political allegiance 
to the democratic party but has served as village 
attorney dirough both democratic and repub- 
lican appointments. 

On the 9th of July, 1895, occurred the mar- 
riage of Almond G. Shepard and Miss Jessie 




WILLIAM II. SHEPARD. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



105 



Harrison, a daughter of John and Catherine 
(Martin) Harrison, of St. Johns. They have 
two children, EUiott F. and Althea H. Mr. 
Shepard has always been a resident of Clinton 
county and has been self-supporting since his 
boyhood days. At the age of sixteen years, 
without aid from any one, he conducted a farm 
of one hundred and thirty acres and made a 
splendid success of this work, thereby securing 
the funds necessary to complete his education. 
He is a typical representative of the young 
man of the age, alert, enterprising and deter- 
mined, lielonging to that class who are fast 
becoming leaders in the world's activities. Mr. 
Shepard is recognized as one of the strong and 
forceful characters of the Clinton county bar 
and is accorded a patronage which is winning 
him gratifying success. 



HENRY RUMMELL. 

Farming and blacksmithing fomierly claimed 
the attention of Henry Ruminell but now he is 
living retired in Elsie, having put aside the 
more active duties of business life. He has 
lived in Clinton county since 1865. and for 
eighty years he has traveled life's journey, his 
memorx' covering the period of greatest pro- 
gress and improvement in the history of this 
country'. He is a native of Ohio, having been 
bom in Tuscarawas county on the iSth of 
July, 1825. His father. George Rummell. was 
a native of Pennsylvania, and when a young 
man went to Ohio, settling in Tuscarawas 
county. He was married there to Miss Cather- 
ine Stifler, who was a native of Pennsylvania 
but was reared in the Buckeye state. In his 
early manhood he learned the trade of a carpen- 
ter and joiner and to that pursuit devoted his 
energies but his death occurred when his son 
Henn^ was a young lad of five years. His wife 
long survived him and reared her children. 

Henry Rummell spent his youth in the 
county of his nativity and learned the black- 
smith's trade there, after which he followed that 
pursuit for several years in Ohio. He carried 



on a shop in New Philadelphia for a few years 
and afterward removed to Delaware county, 
conducting a smithy there for four years, meet- 
ing with a fair measure of success. On the 
expiration of that period, however, he sold out 
and in 1865 came to Michigan, locating on a 
farm, which he purchased in the midst of the 
forest. It was covered with a dense growth of 
timber which meant tliat much arduous toil 
would be required ere the land was prepared 
'for cultivation. He cut away the trees, cleared 
away the brush, grublied out the stumps and 
continued the work of improvemait until the 
fields were ready for the plow and the seed was 
planted. For several years he lived upon that 
place and is still its owner. He likewise owns 
a well improved farm of eighty acres about two 
miles west of Elsie. He had a shop on his farm 
and in connection with general agricultural pur- 
suits also engaged in l)lacksmithing for a num- 
ber of years, but eventually he put aside busi- 
ness cares and in September. 1904, took up his 
al)ode in Elsie, where he is now li\ing retired. 

While still living in Ohio Mr. Rummell was 
married in New Philadelphia, in 1849. to Miss 
Sarah Jane Singhaws, whose birth occurred in 
Harrison county. Ohio. They traveled life's 
journey together for fifty-three years, sharing 
with each other its joys and sorrows, the ad- 
versity and prosperity which checker the careers 
of all but on the 30th of March, 1902. they 
were separated by the death of the wife. Three 
children had i)een born unto them: E. F. Rum- 
mell. who is now living on the home fami; C. 
M.. a fanner whose home is in Elsie; and Ella 
May. the wife of J. Mead, of Elsie. Mr. Rum- 
mell was again married in Ovid on the 29th 
of August, 1904, to Anna E. Hill, a na- 
tive of Canada and a daughter of Rev. John 
Hill, a minister of the Methodist Episcopal 
church in Canada. She was reared and edu- 
cated in her native county and resided there 
until i88_^, after which she came to Michigan 
with her mother and family, locating in Che- 
boygan, where she lived for four years. 

Politically Mr. Rummell is an advocate of 
republican principles, believing firmly in the 
policy of the party and its platform. He and 



io6 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



his wife are members of the Methotlist Episco- 
pal church, and Mrs. Rumniell takes a most 
active part in its work. She was born in the 
parsonage and was reared by parents who were 
devotedly attached to that denomination. Mr. 
Runimell has a very wide and favorable ac- 
quaintance in the county and now crowned with 
years he receives the veneration and respect 
which should ever be accorded to one who has 
traveled far on life's journey and has made a 
record that e.xemplifies the sterling traits of 
honorable manhood. 



GEORGE R. SIMMONS. 

George R. Simmons is living retired in De- 
witt but for years was an active and successful 
agriculturist of Ginton county, owning a well 
iniproN-ed farm in Olive township. .-V native 
son of Michigan, his birth occurred in Wash- 
tenaw county, January 23. 1842. His father, 
Atwell Simmons, was born in the state of New 
York in 1805 and after arriving at years of ma- 
turity was married there to Lovina Knapp, a na- 
tive of that state. In the year 1842 they ar- 
rived in Michigan, settling in Washtenaw 
county, where Mr. Simmons purchased a farm, 
living thereon for three years. He then sold 
and came to Qinton county in 1845, taking up 
his abode in Riley township, where he opened 
up a farm in the midst of the forest. He reared 
his family thereon and continued to carrj' on 
genera! agricultural pursuits until his life's la- 
bors were ended in death in 1880. His wife 
survived him for a number of years, passing 
away in May, 1902. They had one son and one 
daughter, the latter Ijeing Amina, the wife of 
Amari Cook, of Riley township. The son, 
George R. Simmons, reared in this county, to 
which he was brought when but three years of 
age, had but limited school privileges and his 
knowledge has been largely self-acquired. He 
remained with his father until twenty-one years 
of age and was afterward married in Olive 
township, on the 21st of December, 1854, to 
Miss Elizabeth Tucker, a native of Tioga 



county, New York, and a daughter of Hiram 
and Lucy (Smith) Tucker, who were also na- 
tives of the Empire state, the former having 
been born in Otsego county and the latter in 
Tioga count)-. Mr. Tucker remo\ed westward 
to Michigan in 1850 and his daughter was 
therefore reared in this state. Mr. and Mrs. 
Simmons began their domestic life upon a farm 
and he owne<l and impro\ed a valuable tract of 
land in Olive township. The soil was alluvial 
and productive and as the years passed returned 
splendid harvests. After successfully carrying 
on general agricultural pursuits for some time 
Mr. Simmons removed to the village of Dewitt, 
where he now resides in honorable retirement 
from further business cares. 

L'nto our subject and his wife have been 
torn five children but the only one now living is 
Ella, the wife of M. F. Pike, a fanner of Olive 
township. Ada and Eva, twins, died in early 
childhood and Dora died at the age of six 
years, while Hiram Simmons reached adult 
age and was married here. He became a promi- 
net citizen of Dewitt and served as postmaster 
of the village for a number of years or until 
the time of his death, which occurred in 1893. 
He left two daughters, .\da and Eva. Mr. and 
Mrs. Simmons of this review are members of the 
Laiiversalist church and Mr. Simmons belongs 
to the i\Iasonic lodge, in which he has served 
as master and filled all the other chairs, while 
Ijoth he and his wife are members of the Order 
of the Eastern Star. He is a man of un- 
Clinton Port Gal 12 G 

blemished character and moral worth, who has 
lived an honest, upright life and has a favor- 
able acquaintance in Clinton county, where the 
circle of his friends is verv extensive. 



ABRAM HARRIS. 



Abram Harris, whose home is on section 10, 
Bath township, is a native son of Michigan 
and is one of the successful fanners of Clinton 
county, where he has resided for a period of 
thirty-five years. That his lalx)rs have been 
carefully directed is shown in his neat and well 





MR. AND MRS. G. R. SIMMONS. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



109 



improved farm of eighty acres, on which he 
has lived since 1870. He came to this county 
from Lenawee county, Michigan, where he was 
1)orn on tlie 8tli of Decemljer, 1837. His father. 
Captain Garrett Harris, was l)orn in Ulster 
county, Xew York, in 18 16. and was a son 
of Al)ram Harris, one of the early residents of 
this part of the state. Captain Harris was 
reared to manhood in Ulster count\- and was 
married there to Mag'dalena .\uchnioody, who 
was likewise a native of New York. He served 
in the state militia, both in Xew York and 
Michigan, and in 1836 he came to the west, 
settling in Lenawee county, where he developed 
a farm, his original home being one of the old- 
time log cabins, in which the family endured 
many hardships and trials incident to pioneer 
life while they were endeavoring to subdue the 
wilderness and carve out a good farm in the 
mitlst of the forest. Captain Harris continued 
the work of clearing and improving his land 
and afterward extended the boundaries of his 
property until he owned three hundred and 
seventy-two acres in his home farm and also 
good land elsewhere. He was elected the first 
supervisor of Woodstock, Lenawee county, and 
was recognized as a man of good education and 
business capacity who was able to conduct busi- 
ness affairs in a helpful manner, and his loyalty 
to the general welfare was above question. He 
continued to reside upon the old homestead until 
his death, which occurred in May, 1900. His 
first wife died when .\bram Harris was a child 
and he married again, his second wife, how- 
ever, surviving him but seven days. 

Abram Harris was one of two children 
born of their first marriage, his sister ^L^ry 
being the wife of Jacob .\very, who is living 
in Jackson county, Michigan, .\bram Harris 
grew to manhood in Lenawee county, remain- 
ing with his father throughout the period of 
his minority. He was married in that county, 
in 1861. to Miss Mary C. Hewitt, who was 
born in Jackson county. Michigan, and is a lady 
of superior education and culture, who prior to 
her marriage successfully engaged in teaching. 
Subsequent to that time she and her husband 
resided in Lenawee countv, where tliev remained 



for some years, three children being bom unto 
them during their residence there. In 1870 Mr. 
Harris came with his family to Ointon county, 
settling on land which he had previously pur- 
chased. He beg;ui here with si.xty acres, which 
he cleared and improved, and later he traded 
that ])lace for the farm on which he now resides. 
Here he owns one hundred and twenty acres. 
He has added to it and remodeled the home and 
now has a substantial residence. There is also 
a large basement barn on the place and he has 
made other neat and valuable improvements, 
which add to the attractive appearance of the 
farm and indicate the owner to be a man of 
progressive spirit and substantial worth in his 
agricultural interests. 

L'nto Mr. and Mrs. Harris have been born 
fi\e children, of whom four are yet living; 
(Irin, who resides in Grand Rapids, Michigan; 
William, a resident fanner of this county; Net- 
tie, the wife of Frank Smith, who follows 
farming in \'ictor township: Garrett F.. who 
is married and assists in carrying on the home 
farm. They lost their first bom, Leota, who 
was the wife of Levi Canen and at her death 
left f)ne child. 

Tolitically I\Ir. Harris is independent, sup- 
I>irting the men and measures regardless of 
party, nor has he cared for office. He is a 
member of Bath lodge, L O. O. F., has served 
through all of its chairs and is past grand, 
while to the grand lodge of the state he has 
been a delegate. His life has been cliaracter- 
ized by untiring industrv'- and unfaltering pur- 
pose and exemplifies the term "dignity of labor." 
for through the careful conduct of his business 
interests he has won success and his honorable 
methods have gainefl for him an enviable 
reputation. 



GEORGE \V. PAYNE. 

George W. Payne, who is engaged in general 
fanuing on section 2, Lebanon township, was 
born in the township of Fulton, Gratiot county, 
Michigan. December 5, 1854. His father. 
Arnolil Pavne. was a native of New York and 



no 



FAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



when a young; man came to Michigan, setthng 
in Gratiot county. He made the journey west- 
ward with Arnold Payne. Sr., who was ac- 
companied by his eight sons and five daughters, 
the family home being establislied in (iratiot 
county. It was in that locality that Arnold 
Payne, Jr., was united in marriage to Miss 
Mary Gladston, a native of England. He was 
killed in the lumber woods during the early 
youth of George W. Payne, and his widow 
afterward carried on the bftme farm. In the 
family were two sons and a daughter, of whom 
Riley Payne is a farmer in Gratiot county, 
while Carrie E. is the widow of Fred Cross. 

George W. Payne s]jent his youth in (iratiot 
county and acquired a common-school educa- 
tion there, .\fter he had attained his majority 
he settled u]wn ;i farm of forty acres in that 
county which he cultivated for some time and 
then sold. Subsequently he bought another 
farm on .section 2, Lebanon township. This is 
one of the neatest places in the locality and is 
situated just across the road from the .\llen 
grove. In all of his work Mr. Payne has been 
practical and enterprising and his labors have 
been attended with a gratifying measure of suc- 
cess. 

In Octolx-T. iS/cS. in (iratiot county, Mr. 
Payne wedded Miss Clara Blizzard, a native 
of Clinton county and a daughter of 01i\er 
Blizzard, a native of England, who came to 
this section of the .state at an early date. Two 
children grace this marriage: Ro\', now agent 
at Fowler for the Grand Trunk Railway Com- 
pany, who is married and has a son, Russell 
Payne: and Blanche, the wife of Marvin O. 
Allen, a farmer of Lebanon township. 

In his political views Mr. Payne is a re- 
publican where questions of national policy are 
involved but at local elections votes regardless 
of party affiliation. He served as constable for 
four consecutive terms but has never desired 
office. He and his wife are connected with the 
Maccabees lodge at Maple Rapids. They have 
a ])leasant and neat home surrounded by a well 
kept lawn and die farm is in excellent condi- 
tion. Mr. Payne has owned and partially im- 
proved a number of farms in (iratiot county 



and in his work jwssesses that determined spirit 
and unal)ating energy- that enables him to carry 
forward to successful completion whatever he 
undertakes. 



BENJAMIN D. ACKMOODY. 

Benjamin D. .\ckmoody has a wide and 
favorable acquaintance in Elsie, where he is 
well known as an all-round business man and 
l)ul)lic-s])irited citizen. .Although his residence 
in tiie village covers but a brief period he has 
resided for many years in this part of the state, 
his h(ime being iust across the border line in 
Gratint cnunty since 1879. Si.\ years previous 
lie l)ecame a resident of Michigan, taking up 
his al ode at diat time in Hillsdale county. He 
is a n-iti\e <>t Onondaga county. New York, 
born on the 25th of December, 1842. His 
father, .\liraham Ackmoody, was a native of 
Ulster county. New York, born in April, 1799, 
and his father was James .Vckmoody, likewise a 
native of that county and of Scotch descent, 
his ancestors having been among the first set- 
tlers of Ulster county. New York. Abraham 
.Vckmoody was reared in that locality and was 
married there to Miss Hannah .\tkins, who was 
also born in Ulster county. He afterward set- 
tled in Onondaga county, where he followed 
farming and reared his family. His wife passed 
away there and he afterward came to Michigan, 
settling in Ingham county, where he spent his 
last years. 

B. D. .\ckmood}- w^as reared to manhood in 
the county of his nativity and acquired a good 
]niblic-school education there. In July. 1862, 
responding to his country's call for aid, he en- 
listed in Cayuga county. New York, joining 
Company H of the One Hundred and Ele\-enth 
New York Infantry. With the Army of the 
Potomac he served under General George B. 
McClellan, first taking part in the battle of 
Harper's I'erry, where he was captured. Later, 
however, he was paroled and sent to Chicago, 
remaining at Camp Douglas for two months. 
He was then exchanged and returned to active 
service on the Potomac but became ill with 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



Ill 



measles and later suffered fnini smallpox, re- 
maining' in the hospital tor two months, lie 
then returned home in l-'ebruary, 1S63, and 
was honorably discharged because of di.sability. 
Tt was almost a year l)efore he had regained his 
health and was able to become an active factor 
in business lite. lie re-enlisted January 24. 
i8()4. in Battalion 1„ Sixteenth Heavy .Artil- 
lery, and served until the close of the war. He 
k'.irncd the shoem.'iker's trade, which he fol- 
lowed in connection with harnessmaking until 
his removal to Michigan. 

P)efore leaving his native state Mr. .\ck- 
mooih' was married in Chenango county on the 
_'6th of January. 1S64, to Miss Ellen Stone, 
who was born in .\e\\ ll;uu])shire but was 
reared in Madisou countw New ^'ork. In 1873 
they came to .Michigan. settling at .\orth.\dams. 
Hillsdale county, where Mr. Ackmoody estab- 
lished a shocmaking and harnessmaking .shop, 
carr\ ing on business for six vears. He then sold 
out and rcmo\ed to (iratiot countx'. ])urchas- 
ing an improved farm not far from Alma. To 
its further cultivation and de\elo])ment he de- 
voted his energies for a year an<l then sold out, 
after which he removed to I'llwell, where he 
bought an established business, and for five or 
six years engaged in general merchandising. 
al.so serving as postmaster at that place. When 
he disjxised of his stock of goods there he took 
up his alxide in .X.shley. where he engaged in 
fariuing for two years and later carried on a 
harness shop for six or seven vears. Once more 
he sold his store and located on a farm, which 
he cultivated and improved for two years, when 
in December. 1903. he established his residence 
in Elsie, purchasing a hou.se which he has re- 
modeled and to which he has added until he 
now has a neat and attractive residence here. 
He has charge of his son's farm, giving general 
su|iervision to the place and also looks after his 
son's business interests. 

.Mr. :iut\ Mrs. Ackmoody have but one child. 
Willis B. .\ckiuoo(ly, who is now a traveling 
man and is married and resides in Grand 
Rapids. He has one son. Willis B. .'\ckmoody. 

In his piilitical views .Mr. .\ckmoody has 
been ;i lifelong republican and while living in 



Hillsdale county served as justice of the ijeace, 
while for six years he filled the same office in 
(iratiot county. In 1904 he was elected justice 
in Elsie and re-elected in 1905, so that he has 
long filled that ]X)sition. a fact which is indi- 
cative of his ca])able and efficient service, his 
decisions being marked bv strict fairness and 
imjiartiality. I le was al.so a member of the 
town board of (iratiot. Both Mr. and Mrs. 
.\ckmooily are members of the Methodist 
I'.piscopal church, with which he has l)een 
identified for nearly forty years. He has served 
.'IS ;i member of the official board of the church 
and in all of the other offices has taken a very 
active part in Sunday-school work, serving for 
years as superintendent, and for nearly twenty 
years has lieen a local preacher of the denomi- 
nation. Since 1867 he has affiliated with the 
Masonic fraternity, has filleil all of the chairs 
in the local lodge and is now a past master, 
while he and his wife are identified with the 
Eastern Star. He is likewi.se a member of the 
firange and rejjre.sented (iratiot count v in the 
.State (irange. He has a wide and favorable 
acquaintance in both Clinton an<l Gratiot 
counties and the esteem which is ever given in 
recognition of genuine ])ersonal worth is his. 
He has so lived as to win the unqualified con- 
fidence and regard of those with whom he has 
been associated and as the years have gone by 
the circle of his friends has constantly 
broadeneil. 



LEWIS n. W.\(iXER. 

Lewis I). Wagner, living on section 11, 
( ireenbusb tovvnshi]). is the owner of a farm of 
one hundred acres and the rich land yields to 
him excellent harvests annually Iwcause of the 
care and labor which he bestows upon it. His 
residence in Clinton county dates from 1850, 
so that he is luimhered among the early settlers. 
He was liorn in Knox county, Ohio, October 
3. 1849. and is a son of John Wagner, a native 
of Pennsylvania, who was reared in Ohio. His 
father was George Wagner, a native of Ger- 
many and the founder of the family in the new 



112 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



worki. After living in Pennsylvania for a 
time he removed to Ohio, settling there when 
John Wagner was a young man. He took up 
his alxxle" in Knox county and John Wagner 
was there married to :\[iss Polly Kirby. a na- 
tive of Ohio. He then began farming in the 
Buckeye state and followed that pursuit for 
some years, clearing his land, developing a 
good property and making a specialty of the 
raising of tobacco. There with one exception 
all of his children were born. In 1850 he came 
to Clinton county, Michigan, taking up his 
abode on the farm where his son Lewis now 
resides, the family home being in the midst of 
the green woods. They lived in a log cabin for 
several years, having the only double log house 
in this part of the county. The father cleared 
and improved a good farm with the aid of his 
sons and in due course of time replaced the log 
house by a good frame residence. He also pro- 
A-ided ample shelter for grain, stock and farm 
machinery by erecting good barns and sheds 
and in his work he prospered, owing to his 
capable management and indefatigable industry. 
He spent his last years upon diis farm, passing 
awav here in the fall of 1890, having for some 
years survived his wife. In fact he had mar- 
ried again. There are two survivors of the 
family of five children: Lewis D. and Anna, 
the latter being the wife of Stephen Gilson, of 
St. Johns. 

Lewis D. Wagner was brought to Michigan 
by his parents in his infancy and was reared 
upon the old homestead farm, where he yet re- 
sides. He remained with his father until he 
had attained his majority and was married in 
Greenbush township in 1870 to Miss Mar}' 
Catherine Bird, a native of the state of New 
York, who in her girlhood days came to Clin- 
ton county. She is a daughter of James Bird 
and a sister of William Bird. The young couple 
began their domestic life in Eureka and Mr. 
Wagner operated the okl home place for fifteen 
vears. renting it from his father. Subsequent 
to the father's death he purchased his sister's 
interest in the proi)erty and thus succeeded to 
the ownership of the old home farm, which he 
at once began to cultivate and improve in keep- 



ing with the most modern ideas concerning pro- 
gressive agriculture. He has added to and re- 
modeled the house, has also improved the barn 
and i)ut up other good outbuildings, including 
a carriage house and ice house. The entire 
farm is fenced, considerable wire fencing being 
used and there is no equipment of a model farm 
that is lacking. He has for several years rented 
his land but he gives his supervision to keeping 
up the place. 

^^■hile living on the old homestead Mr. 
\\'agner was called upon to mourn the loss of 
his fir.'^t wife, who died leaving two children: 
Anna, now the wife of V. G. Carter, who fol- 
lows farming on the old home property; and 
I'loyd E., who is now holding a responsible 
position as a traveling salesman for O. P. 
Dewitt, of St. Johns. On the 24th of Decem- 
l)er, 1896. Mr. Wagner was again married, his 
second union being with Esther Pershing, a 
native of Ohio, in which state she was reared 
an<l educated, her father being George Persh- 
ing, a native of Pennsylvania. 

Politically Mr. Wagner is an earnest repub- 
lican but without aspiration for office. His wife 
is a member of the Evangelical church. His 
residence in Clinton county covers a period of 
fiftv-five years and his mind bears the impress 
of its early historic annals and forms a con- 
necting link between the primitive past and the 
progressive present. He has helped to improve 
and" make the count\- what it is today, being 
closely identified with Eureka and Greenbush 
township. He has resided all these years in 
this section of the county, where he is very well 
known, and his many excellent traits of char- 
acter ha^•e gained for him the respect and con- 
fidence of those with whom he has lieen as- 
sociated. 



CHARLES H. MANLEY. 

Charles H. Manley was one of the promoters 
of a leading industrial enterprise of St. Johns, 
known as the Premiun Manufacturing Works, 
and is likewise at the head of the Central Poul- 
try Supplv House. The extent of his business 




t'lIARLK.S H. .MAXLEY. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



"5 



is the result of a careful study of jnihlic wants 
and honest effort to please his patrons anil he 
is now controllin<;- interests which hring him 
a (lesirahle linancial return. A native of Eng- 
land, he was horn January 12. 1S71, mid the 
ancestrv of the family can l)e traced iiack tn tiie 
reign of Charles I. Representatives ot the name 
were prominent in the East India service. 
Qiarles Maddock Wanley. father of our sul)- 
ject, was horn in Portsmouth. I lruni)shire, 
England, and was connected with the English 
consulate at ilaltimore, Maryland, .spending 
much of his life in the government and diplo- 
matic service. He married l"",llen Howe, aLso 
a native of England, and his death occurred 
when he was fifty-seven years of age. while 
his wife passed away six months later, in 1900. 
also at the age of fifty-seven years. 

Charles H. Mauley, their only sou. accpiiretl 
his education in the Chettenham puhlic schools 
and in King's College, from wihch he was 
graduated in 1897 with the degree of Bachelor 
of Arts. Me afterward completed a course in 
London University with the degree of Master 
of .\rts in the class of 1899, ''"'^ hecame a lec- 
turer for the International Protestant P'eder- 
ation, his territory- covering the eastern and 
southern portions of England, h'or two years 
he devoted his life to that work, after which he 
returned to his home and for a period was en- 
gaged in evangelistic work. At the hreaking 
out of the Boer war he became chaplain of the 
Royal Horse Artillery and remained in South 
Africa for two years during the period of 
hostilities there. He then came to America in 
1903 and was engaged in evangelistic work in 
St. Johns for six months, after which he or- 
ganized and estaljli.shed the Premiun Manu- 
facturing Works. The manufactured product 
includes horticultural buildings, portal)le houses, 
poultry supplies, conservatories, green houses, 
garden frames, summer cottages, auto houses, 
hunting lodges, incubators, brooders, colony 
houses, fencing, sundries and utilities of ever}' 
description. He also deals in bee supplies, 
pigeon goods, in standard bred poultry and in 
eggs for hatching. The l)usiness has increased 
rapidly from the beginning and at Sts present 



rapid rate of growth will he one of the largest 
of the kind in the country. He was the first 
to begin the business of shipping live chicks by 
express and has established a business in many 
states, making shipments of chicks one w^eek 
after hatching. This department has grown to 
such an extent that the St. Johns Hatching 
Company was formed with a capital of ten 
thdusand dollars, of which Mr. Manley is 
president. He carries all kinds of poultry 
fodds and has the largest stock of jxaultry ap- 
pliances and supplies in the middle west. The 
business occupies a four-story building on the 
(irand Trunk Railroad and a private track has 
been laid to this structure so that Mr. Manley 
is enabled to make prompt and economical ship- 
ments. He has been a frequent contributor to 
leading jwultry journals of the country, is re- 
garded as a most practical poultryman and has 
l)een a lecturer for the Utility Club. 

On the 1st of June, 1904, Mr. Manley was 
married to Miss Matie ]\larie Martin, a daugh- 
ter of Mrs. Elizabeth Martin, of St. Johns. Mr. 
Manley has worked his way upward, attaining 
prominence in his chosen field of labor through 
merit and unfaltering diligence. Dominated by 
the progressive and enterprising spirit of the 
west, energy and industry have stood him in 
stead of capital and have crowned his efiforts 
with prosperity. 



CAPTAI.X HIlXR^" \\'.\L1!RIDGE. 

Captain Henry W'albridge, whose life record 
constitutes an honored chapter in the history of 
the bar of central Michigan, was born in Calx)t, 
W'ashington county, Vermont, .August 21, 
1820. He died June 24, 1899, at which time 
he was one of the oldest practitioners in years 
of continuous connection with the bar in the 
United States. Orphaned at the age of twelve 
years and obliged to support himself from that 
time, his latent powers and energies were early 
called forth and he soon gave proof of the ele- 
mental strength of his character, which in later 
years made him a distinguished representative 
of the legal profession in Michigan and one 



ii6 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



who wielded a wide influence in pul)lic affairs. 
In his youth he learned a trade, working 
through the day, while his evening hours were 
devoted to reading and study. He early re- 
alized the imjxirtance and value of a liberal edu- 
cation and after attending an academy during 
its night sessions he took up the study of law 
during the evening Imurs and thus qualified 
himself for passing an examination before 
Judge Isaac P. Redfield, whereby he was ad- 
mitted to practice in the courts of Vermont. 

Captain W'albridge entered upon the active 
work at the bar in Plainfield. Vermont, and 
subsequently located in Glover in the same state, 
continuing a member of the Ijar there until 
thirty-two years of age. In the meantime he 
hari married and in 1852 he came with his 
family to Michigan, settling at Saline, where 
he combined a law practice with the business of 
merchandising. Not only did he attain promi- 
nence in liusiness but also became a recognized 
factor in political circles and was present at 
the birth of the republican iiarty "under the 
oaks," at Jackson, Michigan, in 1854. 

In 1856 Captain Walbridge removed from 
Saline to St. Johns, where he established a 
permanent residence and at once entered u])on 
the practice of law. He served as prosecuting 
attorney for one term l)efore entering the mili- 
tary service of his country. A champion of the 
cause of liberty and of the Union he was com- 
missioned second lieutenant by Governor Blair 
in 1862, and was assigned to serve in the re- 
cruiting office of the Twenty-third Michigan 
Infantry. He thus raised Company G of that 
regiment and was mustered in as its captain in 
the month of July, going at once to the front. 
He was in active service for about a year and 
a half but while in camp at London, Tennessee, 
he became ill and, unfitted for further field 
service, he resigned his commission and on a 
surgeon's certificate of disability was honorably 
discharged, after which he returned tn his home 
in St. Johns. While in the army he was de- 
tailed as judge advocate in the court marshal's 
ofifice. 

Again entering upon the practice of his pro- 
fession in St. Johns, Captain Walbridge was 



soon afterward elected prosecuting attorney of 
Clinton county and also served as circuit court 
commissioner for several terms. In 1896 he 
was once more nominated and elected prosecut- 
ing attorney, rendering service in that capacity 
which made his incumbency a valued one to this 
section of the state. At the time of his death 
he was one of the oldest practicing lawyers of 
the country. Hale, active and vigorous up to 
within six months of his demise, he was widely 
recognized as one of the prominent and capable 
members of the bar of central Michigan. In 
the examination of witnesses he had few su- 
periors and while his questions were searching 
in their scope he was always considerate in his 
treatment of those called before the courts to 
testify and because of this he won the merited 
regard of many. He tried important cases in 
the circuit courts of Michigan and his name is 
a familiar one ujxju the reports of the supreme 
cnurt. His legal learning, his analytical mind 
and the readiness with which he grasped the 
points in an argument all combined to make 
him a strong trial lawyer and his sei'vice was 
equally valuable in counsel so that the public and 
the profession acknowledged him a peer of the 
ablest nienil)ers practicing in St. Johns and the 
central portion of the state. 

Captain Walbridge was married while in the 
east to Miss Zilpah Allen, a native of Vermont 
and a descendant of General Ethan Allen, who 
with his "Green Mountain Boys" captured Fort 
Ticonderoga and won fame for the Vermont 
soldiers in the Revolutionary war. Mrs. Wal- 
bridge still survives her husband and their sur- 
\iving children are: Henry E. and Edward L., 
practicing attorneys of St. Johns ; and Ella, the 
wife of Dr. J. H. De May. of Jackson. 

For six months prior to his demise Captain 
W'albridge was in ill health and was confined 
to his home from February until June. On 
the day of his death the national colors were 
placed at half mast on the courthouse and on 
the day of interment the circuit court adjourned 
and the business houses closed out of respect 
to his memorv during the hour of the funeral 
services. Resident members of the old Twenty- 
third Michigan Infantry served as pallbearers. 



i 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



117 



while the Grand Army post attended in a body 
as did the Masonic fraternity, which conducted 
the services. Memorial resolutions of respect 
were passed by the Clinton county bar and the 
feeling throughout the city was one of deep 
and widespread regret when this honored 
pioneer lawyer passed away. .\ finely balanced 
mind and a well rounded character had gained 
him i)rofessional success and warm personal 
friendships. 



JOHN H. CORBIT. 

John H. Corbit, the oldest merchant of St. 
Johns, for fifty years connected with commer- 
cial pursuits here and still conducting an ex- 
tensive store in which he deals in hardware and 
agricultural implements, is a native of the town- 
ship of Lewiston. Niagara county. New York. 
His birth occurred on the 30th of June. 1832. 
his parents being George and Maiy (Gardner) 
Corbit. The father was a native of Ireland and 
was a weaver by trade. Becoming a resident 
of America he was married in this country to 
Mary Gardner, who was born in the United 
States but was of German lineage. Soon after 
the railway was completed from Lockport, New 
York, to Niagara Falls, George Corbit was ap- 
pointed .station agent at Pekin, New York, 
which position he filled for many years, but he 
came to St. Johns, Michigan, to spend his last 
days and here passed away at the age of eighty 
years. His wife died at the age of fifty-three 
years. 

John H. Corl)it was a youth of fourteen sum- 
mers at the time of his mother's death. The 
following year he left home and starting out in 
the world on his own account has since been 
dependent entirely upon his labors and energies 
for the success and privileges he has enjoyed. 
He made his way to Battle Creek, Michigan, 
in 1854, but afterward returned to New York 
and in 1855 removed to .Mbion, Michigan. He 
learned the tinner's trade as an apjjrentice to 
the firm of Flagler & Lewis, at Lockport, New 
York, his term of apprenticeship covering three 
years, beginning in 1850. He was afterward 



employed by Cliarles Keep, of Lockport, for a 
year and later fiillowed the same pursuit as an 
employe at Niagara I'alls and at Pekin, New 
^'ork. Cuming to the west he secured a posi- 
tiiin in .Mbion, where he remained until the 
spring of 1856. when he removed to St. Johns 
and here embarked in Inisiness on his own ac- 
count, forming a partnership with William 
.\Iott under the firm name of Corbit & Mott, 
dealers in hardware. This arrangement was 
maintained for four years, at the end of which 
time Mr. Corbit purchased his partner's in- 
terest. He then continued alone and eventually 
he sold his stock and purchased the site of his 
])resent large business block from a Mr. Gear 
on Walker street west. A small building stood 
on this site, where for forty years Mr. Corbit 
has now carried on business. He there suc- 
ceeded Edward Valentine, with whom he was 
associated for four years and who had been a 
dealer in agricultural implements. Thus Mr. 
Corbit extended the field of his operations 
which have since embraced lx)th a hardware and 
agricultural implement trade. From 1861 until 
1865 he was in partnership in the hardware 
business with John B. Chapman, after which 
he Ixjught out Mr. Chapman's interest. He has 
long Ijeen alone and is to-daj' the oldest repre- 
sentative of commercial interests in St. Johns, 
having for almost a half centun,- been a factor 
in its mercantile circles, his name l)eing honored 
and respected because of his unfaltering fidelity 
to a high standard of commercial ethics. Dur- 
ing his first spring in St. Johns he went to 
lUitYalo, New "S'ork, to purchase a stock of 
goods which he secured partly on credit. He 
borrowed five hundred dollars to make the pur- 
chase and the goods were shipped by rail to 
Fenton and thence hauled across the country 
by wagon to St. Johns — a difficult undertaking 
at that day owing to the poor condition of the 
roads. The new enterprise, however, proved 
prosperous almost from the start. The first 
year he had a good trade but the next year he 
was not so fortunate, for the crops in his lo- 
cality failed and his sales were thereby 
diminished. The end of the second year there- 
fore found him in debt and upon his borrowed 



ii8 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



money he paid ten per cent interest, but better 
times came and through his persistency of pur- 
pose and unfaltering diligence he gained success. 
Year by year his capital was increased and he 
enlarged his store in order to meet the de- 
mands of a growing patronage. The building 
which he first occupied on the present site was 
a little structure twenty-five by fifty feet, to 
which he has added from time to time until he 
now has a large and well appointed business 
block in which he carries an extensive stock. 
For a number of years he has been a member 
of the Business Men's Association and is the 
vice president of the State Bank of St. Johns, 
being one of the organizers and directors and 
retaining this connection with the institution for 
the past five years. 

In 1861 Mr. Corbit was married to Miss 
Jennie Earl, a daughter of Daniel Earl, of 
Baldwinsville, New York. Their only survi\-- 
ing child is Helen, who resides with her father. 
They lost two daughters, Fanny at the age of 
five years and Agnes at the age of eighteen 
years. Mr. Corbit has never been a politician, 
although he manifests a public-spirited interest 
in the political situations of the country and the 
outcome of the important issues before the peo- 
ple. The only office which he has ever held 
was that of member of the school board for one 
term. He was one of the promoters of St. 
Johns Episcopal church, for many years has 
served on its vestn,- and filled the office of 
senior warden. His wife and daughter are also 
members of that church. He has been a mem- 
ber of the Masonic fraternity since 1861 and 
Ijelongs to the Ancient Order of United Work- 
men. He is one of the reliable, trustworthy 
merchants in this city, of splendid business 
qualifications and good judgment and may well 
be termed one of the founders of the city, for 
the growth and development of every com- 
munity depends upon its commercial and in- 
dustrial activity. He has concentrated his 
energies upon one line of business and therein 
has attained splendid success, earning for him- 
self an enviable reputation, while in his deal- 
ings he is known for his prompt and honorable 
methods which have won him the deserved and 



unqualified trust of his fellowmen. He has a 
beautiful home, erected in 1861, at which time 
the surrounding country was almost an un- 
broken forest, and he has watched with interest 
its growth and development. 



THOMAS L. SWARTHOUT. 

Few men are more familiar with the history 
of pioneer life in Clinton county than Thomas 
Lonsbury Swarthout, of Ovid, whose mind 
bears the impress of the early historic annals of 
this section of the state for he has been a wit- 
ness of the growth and progress of the county 
as it has emerged from frontier conditions and 
taken its place with the leading counties of 
the commonwealth, ha\ing all of the ad- 
vantages and improxements known to the older 
east. He was born in Romulus, Seneca county, 
New York, October 6, 1831, his parents being 
\\'illiam S. and Betsey (Willett) Swarthout, 
in whose family were seven sons, Thomas L. 
]x'mg the fifth in order of birth. At the age 
of five years he accompanieil his parents to 
Michigan, the family home Ijeing established in 
Victor town.ship, St. Johns county. 

It was in 1837 that his father and six other 
heads of families left New York and started 
to the west. They had to make roads in St. 
Johns county for none had as yet been laid out 
and the father built the log house into which 
the family removed. Dr. Laing at that time 
was the nearest neighbor, his home being three 
and a half miles away. In the summer of 
1836 Rev. Isaac Bennett came to the Swarth- 
out home to preach as a missionary sent out by 
the Ohio conference of tlie Methodist Episcopal 
church. Many settlers came to the county in 
1838, 1839 and 1840, which years constituted 
a period of rapid pioneer growth. All kinds of 
wild game was to be had in abundance, the 
fish were plentiful in the rivers and there were 
wild berries, all of which proved useful to the 
pioneer settlers, many of whom were in limited 
financial circumstances. Mr. Swarthout well 
remembers the Chippewa Indians and their 



I 




T. L. SWARTHOUT. 



i 




MRS. T. L. SWARTHOUT. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



123 



chief, who would visit at the Swarthout home 
and dine witii the family. He was a tall, well 
formed Indian and lived to the advanced age of 
one hundred and fnc years. In those early 
days wheat and other grain were threshed on the 
ground and winnowetl by hand. The produce 
of the farm was taken to Detroit or Pontiac 
and the trip to the ffirmer place required a week. 
Few arc as familiar with the ])ioneer history 
as is Mr. Swartlmul and his reminiscences are 
\-eiy interesting, showing the conditions of 
things that existed in the early days before the 
white luan had carried forward to any extent 
his work of reclaiming this district fnr the pur- 
pose of civilization. 

In his ynutli .Mr. Swarthout assisted his 
father upon the home farm. He was reared 
amid pioneer influences and surnnindings. 
spending his lx)yhcKKi, youth and manhood upon 
tlie farm in \'ictor township. .\t the age of 
sixteen years he Ijegan teaching in the sub- 
scription schools and was thus employed during 
the winter for fourteen years, receiving from 
seventeen to twenty dollars ])er month. He 
took up his abode on a farm on section 12. 
Victor township, in 1854 and there continued 
to reside for nearly a half century, or until 
1903. His fami. which he still owns, com- 
prises two hundred and fifteen acres of rich 
and valual)le land, which he developed from a 
wild tract. In 1903, however, he put aside agri- 
cultural pursuits and removed to Ovid, where 
he is now living retired in a comfortable home. 
In 1872 he built fine buildings upon his farm, 
including a substantial residence. He was an 
extensive raiser of and flealer in sheep and also 
gave some attention to cattle, but for a long 
period was known as one of the most successful 
sheep raisers of Clinton county. 

On the 5th of .\pril. 1854, Mr. Swarthout 
was married to Miss Mary Parker, who at that 
time was living in \'ictor township, Clinton 
county. Her parents were John and Sarah 
(Cronkitc) Parker, and she was born in 
Romulus, Seneca county. New York, December 
21, 1834. She became the mother of a son 
and daughter: Edson, who is now living in 
Ovid; and Nora E., the wife of Qiarles E. 



Warner, a farmer and prominent citizen of 
I'alkton. South Dakota. They have three 
daughters, Marjorie Swarthout, Gladys Mil- 
dred and Mary Geraldine. 

In his political views Mr. Swarthout has long 
been a stalwart republican and has served his 
fellow townsmen in various official capacities, 
acting as township clerk many years, township 
treasurer and school inspector .several years. 
Since the age of seventeen years he has been 
a devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal 
church, to which his wife Ijelongs, and they are 
widely recognized as earnest, consistent Chris- 
tian people. lie has gained a valuable com- 
petence through well directed effort and untir- 
ing enterprise and is now enjoying the fruits 
of his former toil in honorable retirement from 
further labor. 



FRED R. EVERETT. 

I'red 1\. i^verett. a representative of the Ovid 
bar. was born in Shiawassee county, Feliniary 
[6, TS75. his parents being John W. and Jane 
I'^verett, natives of New ^'ork. After leaving 
the Empire state when a young man the father 
engaged in the operation of a mill at Ithaca for 
a number of years, when he was appointed 
keeper of the Jackson pri.son. where he remained 
for alK>ut ten years. On the cx])iration of that 
l)eric)d he eng"aged in merchantlising in Burton, 
Michigan, and subsequently followed the same 
pursuit in Ithaca. Eventually he retired from 
business with a comfortable competence earned 
through untiring labor and careful management 
in former vears. and he is still making his home 
in Ithaca in the enjoyment of a well earned rest. 
His wife departed this life in 1889. Of the six 
children of that marriage three are living, Fred 
R. being the youngest. The others are Mrs. 
Lena B. High, of Ovifl, and Howard, of St. 
Paul. Minnesota. 

I'red R. Everett acquired a common-school 
education and continued his studies in the high 
schools of Ovid and of Owosso. while later he 
pursued a business university course in 1893. 



124 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



During that time he also took up the study of 
law in Ovid and after careful preliminary read- 
ing was admitted to the bar by Judge Daboll 
in 1895. In the same year he went to Ann 
Arbor, where he matriculated in the State 
University and was graduated with the law 
class of 1896. He then returned to Ovid, 
where he has since engaged in practice and for 
six or eight years he served as village attorney 
here, while for eight consecutive years he was 
circuit court commissioner. He has always 
been active in politics and has Iseen a member 
of the election board. His chief attention, how- 
ever, is devoted to his profession and his fidelity 
to his clients' interests is proverbial, while in 
the trial of a case his presentation of the facts 
bearing upon the suit show careful preparation 
and thorough investigation. 

On the 19th of September, 1899, Mr. Everett 
was united in marriage to Miss Laura M. 
Grimes, of Detroit. She has a brother George 
who lives in Detroit and a sister Katherine, also 
a resident of Detroit, while her brother Mathew 
is dispatcher at Durand. Michigan, and John 
is a resident of Canada. Mr. and Mrs. Everett 
occupy an enviable position in the social circles 
of the town in which they make their home and 
are people of genuine worth and well merited 
popularity. 



HENRY C. LACY. 



-Among the early settlers of Michigan is 
numered Henry C. Lacy, now living on section 
36, Victor township. He is a well-to-do farmer 
with a tract of eighty acres that is valuable be- 
cause of the improvements he has placed upon 
it and also by reason of the productiveness of 
the fields. A resident of Michigan since 1839, 
he is therefore familiar with its historj' from 
territorial days down to the present and has 
witnessed its wonderful transformation as it 
has emerged from pioneer environment to be- 
come a factor in the great sisterhood of states 
and a leader in various lines of industrial prog- 
ress. Mr. I^cy has been a resident of Clinton 
county since 1868 and in community affairs has 
manifested an active and helpful interest. Born 



in Wyoming county, Xew York, on the 27th 
of November, 1826, he is a son of Eli Lacy, 
likewise a native of the Empire state. His 
mother liore the maiden name of Mary Frank- 
lin and was a native of Massachusetts. The 
marriage of the parents was celebrated in New 
York, and Eli Lacy followed farming in Wyo- 
ming county until after the birth of five of their 
sons. In 1839 he removed with his family to 
Michigan, settling first in Oakland county, 
where he later purchased land and developed 
a farm, upon which he reared his children. 
There he continued to live until called to the 
home beyond. 

Henry C. Lacy spent the greater part of his 
childhood and youth in Oakland county, where 
he was reared to farm life, remaining with his 
father until he had attained his majority. He 
then started out ui>3n an active business career 
as a farm hand, working by the month. For 
one year he received one hundred and twenty- 
eight dollars for his labor and saved out of 
that sum one hundred dollars. As a com- 
panion and helpmate on life's journey he chose 
Miss Elizabeth Rice, and their marriage was 
celebrated in Oakland county in 1850. She was 
born at Boston. Massachusetts, but was reared 
in Detroit, Michigan. Her father, Paul Rice, 
was a business man first of Boston and later of 
Detroit, while subsequently he became a farmer 
of Oakland county. 

Following his marriage Mr. Lacy engaged 
in cultivating a farm which he owned in Oak- 
land county, making his home there for several 
^•ears. Subsequently he removed to Shiawassee 
county, where he became the owner of eighty 
acres which he cultivated for four years and in 
1868 he took up his abode in Victor township, 
Clinton county, where he bought eighty acres 
of land in the midst of the forest. Upon this 
place stood a log house, while five acres of the 
land had been cleared, but otherwise the farm 
was entirely unimproved. Mr. Lacy at once be- 
gan to clear and fence the property and develop 
a farm according to modem methods and now 
all is in a good state of cultivation. The place is 
well fenced, the land has been made productive 
through the routine of crops and the judicious 



i 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



125 



use of fertilizers, and now large crops are an- 
nually gathered, and the improvements which 
Mr. Lacy has placed upon the farm include n 
neat residence and two good harns. He is to- 
day a substantial farmer of Victor township 
hut when he started out in life for himself he 
was a ixior man with no capital and with naught 
to aid him save his own labor and determi- 
nation. 

Mr. and Mrs. Lacy have three children : \\\ 
H.. who is represented in this work; Nellie, the 
wife of Payne Knight, a resident of Shiawassee 
count}': and Minnie, the wife of William 
Houghton, of Chicago, by whom she has three 
children. Earl D., Ray and Howard Hough- 
ton. Mr. and Mrs. Lacy also lost a son, Henry, 
who died at the age of ten years. 

In his political affiliation Mr. Lacy was 
originally a whig and upon the organization of 
the republican party joined its ranks and in 
i860 supix)rted Lincoln but in recent years has 
given his support to the democracy. He has 
never been an office holder nor has he desired 
political preferment. He deserves much prai.se 
for what he has accomplished as his advance- 
ment in the business world is due to no in- 
herited fortune nor the aid of influential friends 
but to labor that has been unremitting and 
energy that never flags. He was one of the 
first men to take u]) his alxule in Michigan and 
is now one of the few remaining early settlers. 
His resiflence in this part of the state — in Oak- 
land, Shiawassee and Clinton counties — covers 
sixty-six years. He has seen the great forests 
felled, the fielils cleared and fenced, the towns 
and cities Imilt and luany industrial and com- 
mercial enterprises introduced, while the agri- 
cultural development has shown the great fer- 
tility and richness of the soil. He has broken 
the wild land, cleared and fenced it. and in 
early days did his fanuing with eight yoke of 
oxen. He has helped substantially in the iiu- 
provement and development of three counties 
and while thus engaged he and his wife en- 
dured many hanlships and privations, but their 
frugality, economy and capable management 
have secured to them a very desirable com- 
petence for old age. Mr. I^acv has now reached 



the age of four score years but is still hale and 
hearty and gives his personal supervision to his 

farm. 



JOHN !•:. HINKSON. B. S., M. D. 

Dr. John E. Hinkson, successfully engaged 
in tlu- i)ractice of medicine at Wacousta, is a 
native of .^madore, Sanilac countA% Michigan, 
his birth having occurred upin a farm that his 
granflfather, George Hink.son, had purchased 
from the government rind which is still in 
])ossession of the family. His natal day was 
December 18, 1870. The grandfather came of 
an old Vermont family and removed to Canada. 
His wife, Mrs. Farwell Hinkson, was born in 
Paisley, Scotland. Their son, George Hink- 
son, Jr., was born in Guelph, Ontario, and 
luarried Miss Jane McCardle, also of that 
locality. On coming to Michigan they settled 
in Sanilac county and the father became not 
only a successful agriculturist but also one of 
the distinguished citizens of that locality, leav- 
ing the impress of his view s ;uid life upon public 
thought and action. He served as supervisor 
of Worth township, Sanilac count}-, filling the 
office for several terms and serving two terms 
as chairman of the V)oar(l, and in 1888 he was 
elected to represent his district in the state legis- 
lature. He died in the year 1903, at the age 
of seventy-two years, and his wife passed away 
in 1885, at the age of fifty-two years. In their 
family were six children, of whom four are 
li\ing, one dying in infancy. Alaria is the wife 
of James W. Clyne, who resides on the old 
homestead in Worth township, Sanilac county. 
Margaret, the wife of McKinstry Burt, is a 
graduate of the Farrand Training school, of 
Detroit, and now living in Detroit, Michigan. 
John E. of this review is the next of the family. 
Bertha is a graduate of the Michigan Agri- 
cultural College of the class of 1905. William 
J. Hink.son, a brother of the Doctor, died in 
October, 189 1, of typhoid fever, at Harper 
Hospital, when twent}'-six years of age. He 
was a gra<lnate of the Michigan .Agricultural 
College and engineering department of the 



126 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



L'niversity of Michigan, at Ann Artor, and 
was assistant bridge engineer of the Micliigan 
Central Railroad Company, Ijeing stationed at 
Detroit at the time of his demise. 

John E. Hinkson pursued his early education 
in the district schools and in the fall of 1888 
entered the Michigan Agricultural College, 
from which he was graduated in June. 1892. 
having pursued the full agricultural course, re- 
ceiving the degree of Bachelor of Science. The 
same year he entered the University of Michi- 
gan, at Ann Arlxir. and was graduated from 
the medical department in 1895. I" January', 
1896, he located for practice at Wacousta. 
where he has since remained, enjoying a liberal 
anc constantly increasing patronage. Having 
an' 'tion in a military direction Dr. Hinkson 
in 1890 took the competitive examination for 
West Point held at Lapeer, Michigan, winning 
first rank in the mental examination, but fourth 
in the physical, receiving the appointment as 
alternate. Prior to entering upon his profes- 
sional career Dr. Hinkson engaged in teaching 
for two years in St. Clair county. His father 
had been connected with educational work for 
many years but the Doctor comes more par- 
ticularly from a family of physicians. His 
uncle. Irxing McCardle, died while studying 
medicine at Ann .Vrbor. while Alfred Hudson, 
a cousin, is now a surgeon in the United States 
Navy, and William Farwell, a cousin of the 
Doctor's father, is at this time one of the med- 
ical directors of the United States Navy. 

When attending the .Agricultural College Dr. 
Hinkson was a member of the Eclectic Society; 
a director in the Inter-Collegiate Athletic As- 
sociation in 1892 and was president of the Ora- 
torical Association the same year. In the line 
of his profession he is connected with the Clin- 
ton County Medical Society, the State Medical 
Society and the American Medical Association. 
He keei)s in touch with the progress of the pro- 
fession as investigation and research continu- 
all)' broaden the knowledge and promote the 
etTiciency of the medical fraternity. 

On the 29th of April. 1896. Dr. Hinkson 
was united in marriage to Miss Bertha Mack- 
lem. of Croswell, Sanilac countv. Michigan. 



who died on the 6th of July of the same year. 
On the 2d of October, 1897, he was united in 
marriage to Miss Ida Love, of South Riley, and 
they have one child, Alice B., who was born 
January 17. 1899. ^^^s- Hinkson's great- 
great-grandfather in the maternal line was a 
cousin of \\' illiam Penn. 

In his fraternal relations Dr. Hinkson is a 
Mason, having become a member of Lansing 
lodge. No. 33. A. F. & A. M., in 1892. He 
afterward attained the Royal Arch degree in 
the chapter at Grand Ledge and is now master 
of Wacousta lodge. No. 359, and worthy pat- 
ron of the Eastern Star, chapter No. 133. He 
likewise belongs to the Maccabees tent and the 
Modern Woodmen camp, lx)th of Wacousta, 
and in both is examining physician. He is a 
director of the Grand Ledge State Bank and 
is especially interested in community affairs, 
having for six years been secretaiy of the 
school board of Wacousta. while in many 
other wa\s he has materially aided in the ad- 
\ancement. uplniilding and welfare of his com- 
munity. In politics he is a stalwart republican 
and has served as a member of the township 
and cduntv committees. 



ROBERT C. LOWE. 



Robert C. Lowe is an active, energetic busi- 
ness man who in former years was connected 
with agricultural interests and later was a dealer 
in hardware and implements at Maple Rapids. 
He is a stockholder in the Independent Tele- 
phone Company and his ready recognition and 
utilization of business opportunities and his un- 
faltering- purpose have been the strong and 
salient features in his successful career. 

He is a native son of Duplain township, born 
on the 14th of Decemter. 1853. His father, 
Nathan R. Lowe, first opened his eyes to the 
light of day in Chemung count}-. New York, in 
1800, and was a son of Cornelius Lowe. In the 
state of his nativity he was reared and was 
married three times, the second time being in 
Clinton countv when lie wedded Mvs. Sarah 



I 




MISS GLADYS C. LOWE. 





MR. AND MRS. R. C. LOWE. 



I 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



i2g 



Scott, nee Gilmore, a widow. She was bom 
in New York and reared and educated there. 
The year 1838 witne.'^sed the arrival of Nathan 
R. Lowe in Michigan, at whicli time he pur- 
chased a tract of raw land in the midst of the 
forest in Duplain township, Clinton county, 
near the colony. He cut a road through the 
woods to his place, for at that time no highway 
had been laid out. In fact the entire country- 
side seemed just as it did when it came from 
tlie hand of nature. The native forest trees 
covered the district and the work of improve- 
ment and progress had scarcely l)een begun. He 
cleared and developed his farm there, having 
three hundred and twenty acres of land, but 
later he sold that property and removed to Essex 
township, settling near the I>owe church, where 
he owned and cultivated three hundred and 
twenty acres of land, spending his remaining, 
days there. His death occurred in 1873 and 
thus passed away one of the honored pioneer 
settlers of the county, a man whose efforts were 
effective in transforming the pioneer region into 
a district supplied with all the evidences of 
a modern civilization. 

Robert C. Lowe is one of the two sons born 
of his father's second marriage and was reared 
in Essex township, acquiring his education in 
the common schools. He remained with his 
father until his death and then started out in 
life on his own account. Purchasing the in- 
terest of the other heirs in the old homestead he 
thus succeeded to the ownership of two hundred 
and eighty acres of land. He engaged in farm- 
ing, owning two places, and he improved the 
property by the erection of attractive residences, 
two good l)anis, a granary and other outl)uild- 
ings for the shelter of grain and stock. In his 
fann work he is practical and systematic, his 
labors being attetifled with a gratifying measure 
of success. He continued in the active improve- 
ment of the farm until the spring of 1897, when 
he rented the place ami removed to Maple 
Rapids, where he has since resided. He still 
owns, however, his large and well developed 
farm property in Elba township, Gratiot county. 
After taking up his abode in the village he en- 
gaged in the hardware and implement business, 



conducting his store with good success for five 
years, but has since sold out. He is a stock- 
holder in the Independent Telephone Company 
and is regarded as a man of excellent business 
ability and keen discernment, whose well con- 
ducted labors have been the source of gratify- 
ing prosperity. 

On the 23d of December. 1881, in Essex 
township, Mr. Lowe was married to Miss Net- 
tie Bottum, a native of Essex township, where 
she was reared and educated. For six years 
she was a capable teacher of the county and 
later served as school inspector for three years. 
Her father, John R. Bottum, was one of the 
early settlers of Michigan, who came to this 
state from New York. He married Caroline 
Clark, who was torn and reared in .\uburn. 
New '^'ork. and was a sister of Jerome Clark. 
Mr. and Mrs. Lowe became the parents of two 
children but lost their infant son. The daugh- 
ter. Gladys C, is yet at home. The parents and 
daughter are members of the Methodist Epis- 
copal church and Mr. Lowe is serving as one 
nf its officers, taking an active part in its work 
and doing all in his power to extend its influ- 
ence. The Lowe church was named in honor 
of the family. He is a member of the Grange 
and a number of fanners' clul)S and takes an 
active interest in all that pertains to the agri- 
cultural development of this part of the state. 
His political support has been given to the re- 
publican party since age conferred upon him 
the right of franchise. He has been elected 
and served as township drain commissioner and 
was chosen supervisor to fill out an unexpired 
term. He has been a delegate to the county 
conventions and is a firm believer in the prin- 
ciples of his party. He is much interested in 
general progress and improvement along all 
lines relating to the material, intellectual, po- 
litical and moral advancement of his community 
and is known as a man of genuine, personal 
worth as well as of gootl business abilit>' that 
has resulted in well merited prosperit)'. He and 
liis wife purchasetl nine acres of land in Maple 
Rapids, which they laid out in town lots and 
improved by the erection of good residences, 
selling the property later at a handsome profit. 



UO 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



They have a wide circle of warm friends and 
enjoy the good will and trust of all w ith whom 
thev have heen brousfht in contact. 



JOHN LIXK. 

John Link, proniinent in political circles of 
Ovid, is now filling the jxisitions of township 
clerk and of \-illage assessor and is also en- 
gaged in the insurance business. He was horn 
in Flint township, (ienesee county, Michigan, 
Fehruar}- 3, 1S43. and is descended from (ier- 
man ancestr\-. His parents, John and Sarah 
B. ( Stanard) Link, were nati\es of Genesee 
county. Xew ^'ork. and came to Michigan in 
1837. settling in Flint township, Genesee 
county. The father opened u)) a farm in the 
midst of a tract of wild land ami there spent 
his remaining days. The brothers of the fam- 
ily, five in number, went to various western 
states and one of these, Emory Link, is now 
living in Los .Angeles. California, at the age 
of seventy-nine years. John Link of this re- 
view is one of a family of nine children and 
those who still survive are Abram, who is liv- 
ing in Flint township, Genesee county, Michi- 
gan; John, of this review: .\mbrose, who is 
living in Flint, Michigan: Mary Jane, the wife 
of Daniel Ryant, of Flint : Celestia. the widow 
of Stephen .McYane, of St. Louis, Michigan; 
and Henrietta, the wife of Henry Parkhurst, 
of Flint. Those deceased are: Milton H. : 
Francis M. ; and Elizabeth, who was the wife 
of George .\dams, of Flint. 

John Link received but a limited education, 
remaining upon his father's farm until seven- 
teen years of age. He then began working in 
a machine shop at Flint but afterward returnetl 
to the farm and when nineteen years of age 
he enlisted on the 20th of June. 1862, as a 
member of Company B. First Michigan Engi- 
neers and Mechanics. He joined the army as 
a private and was mustered in at Detroit. He 
met his regiment at Louisville, Kentucky, and 
participated in the engagements at Perryville, 
Stone River, Ch.ittanoopa, .\tl.inta, die siege 



of .S;i\annali and P.entonxille. although this 
was not supposed to lie a fighting regiment. 
He was never wounded and was promoted to 
the rank of corporal at Savannah, Georgia. 
He participated in the entire Atlanta cam- 
paign and was disclrarged at Washington. D. 
(".. being mustered out at Jackson, Michigan, 
in June, 1865. 

Mr. Link then made his way to Flint, Michi- 
gan. ;inil worked at the carpenter's trade until 
iSuS. when he came to 0\i(l, where he con- 
ducted a meat market, afterward following car- 
])entering for four years. Later he became as- 
sistant postmaster, serving in that capacity for 
thirteen years from 1875 until 1888 under 
Po-tmasters Mead. Cowan and Beattie. He 
was afterward \ariouslv engaged, acting as 
bookkeejier for some time for different fimis. 
Three years were thus passed and he was then 
elected townshi]) treasurer of Ovid town.ship 
for a term of two years. Liiter he engaged in 
the restaurant business but in 1895 was chosen 
town.ship clerk, was re-elected in 189(1 and also 
chosen the same year ti} the office of village 
assessor. Since that time he has continuously 
served in this office with die exception of two 
vears and is still holding both positions. In 
politics he is a republican, likewise taking an 
active part in the work and growth of the party. 
He is likewise agent for the Queens, Indian- 
apolis, Pennsylvania and German .\lliance In- 
surance Companies and the policies which he 
annually writes represents a large figure. 

On the 15th of February. 1872, Mr. Link 
was married to iNIiss Jennie M. Tibbitts, a 
daughter of Horace M. Tibbitts. of Fairfield, 
Michigan. ;uid thev have one child. Oiarles W., 
of Detroit, who is superintendent of the De- 
tniit Mf)tor Company. Mr. Link is a member 
of the lodge and chapter of the Masonic fra- 
ternit)-. haxing been made a Mason in 1865. 
He has occupied various chairs in the order and 
is now king of the chapter. He likewise be- 
longs to the Grand .\rmy post and was its com- 
mander in 1897-8. He is worthy patron of the 
Eastern Star and was a member of the relief 
commission for fourteen years. In govern- 
ment ser\ice. whether in militar\' action or in 



^'5? 


■ 


wi 


^^^^^1 


^^^^Jr 


' 1 




J 



lOHN LINK. 



I 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



133 



political office, lie is always found loyal to the 
trust reposed in him and to the position which 
he takes. 



JOSEPH ARENS. 

Joseph A reus, now deceased, was for many 
years a well known resident of Clinton county. 
honored and respected by all who knew him. 
He was horn and reared on a farm within a 
mile and a half of the village of Westphalia and 
at the age of fourteen years left the old home- 
stead and went to Detroit in order to pursue a 
commercial course of study. After successfully 
passing the examinations there he returned to 
Westphalia, where he l)ecame bookkeeper for 
Casper Rademacher. who was at that time con- 
ducting a flourishing mercantile business at this 
point. For five years Mr. .\rens remained in 
his employ, at the end of which time Mr. Rade- 
macher failed in business. .Mr. .\rens then be- 
came associated with his brother-in-law. Peter 
Thome, and they purchased the brick store 
building and the stock which was sold at the 
assignee sale. They then entered upon what 
proved to be a most successful business venture, 
being accorded a liberal and extensive patron- 
age. The partnership between them was con- 
tinued until i88_'. when Mr. Thome sold his 
interest to John P. .Vrens and Joseph Bohr, now 
deceased, the former a brother of our subject. 
Subsequently Joseph Arens purchased the in- 
terests of the.se two gentlemen and became sole 
owner of the business. In 1885, however, he 
entered into partnership with John P. Arens 
and Joseph Bohr for the purpose of conduct- 
ing an extensive creamery and later a fine cold 
storage plant was added. The creamery has 
been one of Westphalia's most flourishing in- 
stitutions and has been of lienefit to the locality 
as well as to the proprietors, furnishing a 
market for the farmers of the surrounding dis- 
trict. Tlie enterprise is now conducted by 
Anthony P. .\rens, a son of Joseph .\rens. The 
mercantile Ijusiness, of which our subject was 
so long the head, is also conducted under the 
name of Joseph .\rens, being at the present time 



owned b\- the sons. l'"or a long period Mr. 
Arens was one of the most enteqirising and 
prominent business men of his locality, con- 
stantly extending the scope of his labors and 
successfully mruiaging his invested interests, so 
that he profited in all of his undertakings. He 
passed away May 6. 1894, at the age of forty- 
five years but the coinnuinil\- still benefits by 
the business inaugurated througii his enterprise 
and labor. His death resulted from an oper- 
ation performe<l on the 7th of June, 1893, for 
the remoxal of a tumor and the community 
mourned the loss of one of its most honored 
and representative citizens, a man whom to 
know was to respect anil esteem. 

Mr. .\rens in carl\- manhood had wedded 
Miss Mary Thome, and .she is still living. She 
was Ixirn in \\"est])halia and is yet associated 
with her sons in the mercantile business. In 
their family were seven children : Josephine, 
now the wife of Michael Spitzley, of West- 
])lialia township; .\ugusta; .\nthony P., who 
is living in Westi)halia : U'illiam J. : Rosa, 
Anna and Jo.seph, all at home. 

.Vnthony P. Arens, spending his boyhood 
days under the parental roof, early became as- 
sociated with his father in his business enter- 
prises and is now conducting the Westphalia 
Creamery. He was torn September 2^. 1879, 
in the village of W^estphalia, was educated in 
the parochial school and afterward in Assump- 
tion College at Sandwich, Ontario, and in the 
Detroit P>usiness University. He manifests ex- 
cellent business ability and capacity in the con- 
trol of his extensive interests and like his father 
has made a creditable name for himself in busi- 
ness circles. He was married Octoljer 14, 1902, 
to Miss Regina Nau. a daughter of Constantine 
Nau, of W'estphalia. and their children are 
Marion and Esther. 

William J. Arens, another son of Jo-seph 
.\rens, is now assisting in the conduct of the 
business interests left by his father. He was 
Ixirn in Westphalia, July 7, 188 1, and after at- 
tending the parochial schools continued his edu- 
cation in Assumption College at Sandwich and 
in the Detroit Business University. In 1898 
he then entered his father's store and has since 



J 34 



PAST AXD PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



been connected with the condnct of tlie busi- 
ness. 

In the death of Joseph .\rens tliere was not 
a man in \\'estphalia but felt that lie had sus- 
tained a personal loss because he had l)een a 
patron, benefactor and friend to all. He was 
quiet and unassuming by nature but ix)ssessed 
those cjualities which never fail to manifest 
themselves, being interwoven with the daily life 
and conduct of the individual. He was ever 
ready to help those who were willing to lieli) 
themselves and the laboring man found in him 
a true friend. He desired the business ad- 
vancement of the community and was ever 
ready to encourage others or give to thenii ma- 
terial assistance if needed. As a citizen he was 
progressive, lending his support to any worthy 
movement or plan for the upbuilding of the 
community, while the e.xtensive patronage that 
his house received testified to his rare talents as 
a man of business. In politics he was a demo- 
crat and ser\ed as township clerk but preferred 
to leave office holding to others. Of St. Mary's 
Catholic church he was a devoted communicant 
and at all times he furthered the material, in- 
tellectual, social and moral welfare of his com- 
munity. Pie stood as a strong man, strong in 
his honor and gi^od name and in his friendships 
and his devotion to his family was one of the 
sterling- traits of his character. 



WILBP'R W. PECK. 



Wilbur W. Peck, engaged in the livery^ busi- 
ness in St. Johns, is a native of Streetsboro, 
Ohio, born February ii, 1856, and traces his 
ancestry back to the band of Puritans who came 
to America on the Mayflower. His parents. 
Horace and .Ann (Rich) Peck, were nati\es of 
Connecticut and Ohio, respectively. The father 
is a tailor by trade and in 1865 removed to 
Alichigan, settling in Allegan county, where for 
a time he engaged in farming. Later he con- 
ducted a boot and shoe business in connection 
with his son, R. R. Peck, until 1876, when he 



took up bis abode in Grand Tra\erse county, 
w here he joined his son, A. W. Peck, in the con- 
duct of a drug store. A few years later, how- 
e\er, he sold out there and removed to Walker- 
\ille, Michigan, where he owned and conducted 
a shoe store until 1900, when he once more sold 
nut and retired from active business life. His 
\vife passed away atout twenty years ago. In 
their family were four sons: Horace L., a hard- 
ware salesman living in Ionia, Michigan; 
Romenzo R.. a .shoe merchant at South Bend, 
Indiana: Wilbur W. : and .Vlbert \V., of 
Traverse City. Michigan, who is traveling for 
the Hazelton Drug Company, of Grand Rapids, 
Michigan. 

Wilbur W. Peck was a student in the public 
schools until sixteen years of age, when, enter- 
ing upon his business career, he secured a posi- 
tion as salesman in a book store, clerking for 
seventy-five dollars per year and his board. He 
afterward accepted a similar position in a gro- 
cery store in Allegan, Michigan, where he re- 
mained for four years and subsequently was a 
clerk in a dry-goods and clothing store, hav- 
ing charge of the dress goods department. That 
^\•ork was followed by his management of the 
clfjthing store of George B. Kellogg in .\llegan, 
Michigan, of which he had charge for four 
years. On the expiration of that period he 
entered into partnership with his brother, R. R. 
Peck, in the conduct of a dr}--goods and clothing 
store at South Boardman, Michigan. After two 
years Wilbur W. Peck purchased his brother's 
interest, carrying on business for eight years 
longer, when he sold out and located at Ionia, 
Michigan, where he conducted a shoe store for 
two years, .\gain disposing of his mercantile 
interests he went upon the road as a traveling 
salesman for the .shoe house of Phelps, Dodge 
& Palmer, of Chicago, whom he represented for 
two years. His residence in St. Johns dates 
from 1897, at which time he formed a partner- 
.ship with J. T. Webber under the firm name 
of Webber & Peck, clothing merchants, and 
when that relation was discontinued Mr. Peck 
gave his attention to the real-estate business, 
being connected for a brief period with J. C. 
Flynn. He then engaged in the conduct of a 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



135 



livery barn of which lie is still proprietor, buy- 
ing out the stable of B. V. Scotield on Ilighani 
street west. He has since continued the busi- 
ness and has a most up-to-date establishment 
with all modern equipments, including a fine 
line of rul)ljer tired vehicles and a large num- 
ber of good horses. His desire to please his 
patrons comliined with straightforward busi- 
ness methods have secured him a good patron- 
age. 

Mr. Peck exercises his right of franchise in 
support of the men and ineasures of the re- 
publican party and in his social affiliations is a 
Knight of Pythias. Pleasantly situated in his 
domestic relations, he was married on the loth 
of September, 1878, to Miss Luella A. Taylor, 
a daughter of Benjamin H. and Emaline (Ter- 
rill) Taylor, of Allegan, Michigan. Both the 
Taylor and Terrill families were originally 
from New York and Mrs. Peck is a native of 
Elyria, Ohio. By this marriage there is one 
living child, Hazel L., while the son, Benjamin 
Floyd, died in 1883, at the age of three years. 
Mr. Peck is recognized as an active and enter- 
prising business man and his success is attribut- 
able entirely to his own efforts. 



WILL H. BRUNSON. 

Will H. Brunson, a member of the Clinton 
count}' bar now ser\'ing for the second term 
as postmaster at St. Johns and a recognized 
leader in local political circles, is numbered 
among the native sons of Clinton county, his 
birth having occurred in Victor on the 8th of 
March, 1858. His parents were William and 
Mary A. (Pierce) Brunson, both of whom were 
natives of East Bloomfield, New York. Com- 
ing to Michigan during the pioneer epoch in 
the histon,' of Clinton county, they settled in 
Victor in September, 1843, liefore the city of 
St. Johns was established. Taking up their 
abode in the midst of a heavily wooded district 
the father cleared and improved a tract of land. 
The Indians were yet numerous in this part of 
the state and wolves and bears were killed in the 
9 



furest. Deer and nther wild game could be 
Iiad in abundance and often furnished a meal 
for the settlers when odierwise the larder would 
have been of meager proportions. Mr. Brun- 
son performed the arduous task of developing 
a new farm and reared his family in Victor. 
He died in 1893, at the age of seventy-two 
\ears, and his wife's death occurred in 1891, 
when she was seventy years of age. In their 
family were five children, the surviving daugh- 
ter lieing Sarah, the widow of Addison Whee- 
lock, of New York. 

Will H. Brunson, die youngest member of 
the family, was a public-school student in St. 
Johns, continuing his education there until he 
had mastered the branches constituting the cur- 
riculum of the high-school course. Attracted to 
the profession of law he prepared for the bar 
in the University of Michigan, completing the 
course in the law department with the class of 
1886. He paid all his own expenses while at 
college, having previously earned the money 
for that purpose. For a time he was engaged 
in teaching, spending four years in the schools 
of St. Johns and one year as principal of the 
Dewitt high school. Becoming a member of 
the Clinton county bar, he was associated with 
Judge Daboll under the firm style of Daboll & 
Brunson for six years, a constantly growing 
clientage connecting him with important liti- 
gated interests. He was for ten years, from 
1892 until 1902, city attorney for St. Johns, 
during which time one of the most important 
cases in the histor}- of the city was tried, Mr. 
Brunson representing the city in a suit against 
the St. Johns water works for damage caused 
by the smoke nuisance created by the water 
works plant. This case was won by him for 
the city. Following the dissolution of his part- 
nership with Judge Dalx)ll Mr. Brunson was 
with William A. Norton as a member of the 
firm of Norton & Brunson for two years and 
since that time has been alone in practice here. 

Active and prominent in his profession, Mr. 
Brunson is perhaps equally well known because 
of his connection and influence with political 
interests. In 1899 he was appointed postmaster 
by President McKinley and by re-appointment 



136 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



of President Roosevelt has since been in the 
office. The postal system and postoffice man- 
agement have been greatly improved under his 
administration. The postoffice building has 
been enlarged through an extension of forty 
feet and a vault has Ijeen added, while there has 
been a considerable increase in the number of 
employes. The sales of the office in 1899 
amounted to eight thousand dollars and at the 
present time have reached diirteen thousand 
dollars. Mr. Brunson has been the promoter 
of the rural delivery .system for this locality and 
his services in the office which he is now filling 
are greatly appreciated by the public, who 
recognize his efficiency, ability and the value of 
his work. He has been active in campaigns 
since 1886, has been secretary of the repub- 
lican county central committee and has served 
on the township, city, congressional and sena- 
torial committees, being now a member of the 
county and congressional central committees. 
Pie is well fitted for leadership and has done 
much to mold public thought and action, his 
opinions carrying weight in the councils of his 
party. 

On the 14th of June, 1888. Mr. Brunson was 
married to Miss Elizabeth Finch, a daughter 
of Peter and Mary Finch, who were residents 
of Greenljush township, Clinton county, and 
are now deceased, her father having died when 
she was but four years of age. They have 
one son, Laurence W. Mr. Brunson belongs 
to the Masonic and Knights of Pythias fra- 
ternities. He is a man of fine physique, of 
generous disposition and a kindly spirit and 
ranks high in the regard of his fellow towns- 
men. 



DANIEL PERKINS. 



Daniel Perkins, living on section 8, Duplain 
township, is a thrifty and prosperous farmer 
whose well improved tract of land of eighty- 
five acres indicates his careful super\'ision. His 
birth occurred in Victor township, this county, 
on the 20th of June, 1857, his parents being J. 
Y. and Polly (Le Bar) Perkins. The father 



was born in Steuben county. Xew York, in 
1823, was reared there and when a young man 
came to Michigan in 1844. locating in Victor 
township. Clinton county, among its pioneer 
settlers. He was married here and opened up 
a farm, upon which he reared his family and 
spent many years. His death, however, occurred 
in I.aingsburg, in 1903, while his wife passed 
away in 1899. To them were born five chil- 
dren, four suns and one daughter, all of whom 
are living. 

Daniel Perkins, the second oldest, was reared 
upon the old homestead in Victor township, 
becoming familiar with all the duties and labors 
that fall to the lot of the agriculturist, .\fter 
attaining his majority he removed to the farm 
upon which he now resides and which at that 
time was in the midst of a dense forest. There 
were no roads to the place and no improvements 
had been made but he at once began to cut 
down the trees and clear away the brush and 
in the course of time prepared the land for 
cultivation. He has now cleared the greater 
])art of the farm and indeed has a valuable and 
])roductive property in the midst of which stands 
a good two-story residence. There is also a 
barn, windpuni]), ;m orchard and in fact all of 
the e(|uipnients and accessories found upon a 
model fann of the twentieth century. The soil 
is productive and yields good crops and in addi- 
tion to the culti\'ation of the fields Mr. Perkins 
also raises good stock. 

In Ovid township, on the i8th of May, 1880, 
Mr. Perkins was married to Miss Jenette Beech, 
a daughter of John Beech, one of the first set- 
tlers of the county, represented elsewhere in this 
work. Mrs. Perkins was born in White Oak 
township, Ingham county, but was reared in 
Victor township, this county. Two children 
have been born of this union who are yet liv- 
ing: Mary, the wife of Alfred E. Jeffers, of 
Greenbush township, by whom she has two chil- 
dren, Donald and Doris, twins; and Jesse, who 
married Irene Angles and has a daughter, 
Blanche Ruth, and is living on the home fann, 
assisting his father in its improvement. Mr. 
and Mrs. Perkins also lost a daughter, Nellie, 
who died in infancy. They have given their 




.MR. A.Vl) .MRS. DANIEL PERKINS. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



139 



chililrcn gmul educational advaiitaj^'cs and have 
als(,> started tlieni well on the journey of life. 

Mr. Perkins exercises his right of franchise 
in support of the men and measures of the re- 
publican parly hut has ne\er .sought or desired 
office for himself. He is a member of the local 
Grange, antl his son belongs to the Modern 
W^oodmen camp. His entire life has been de- 
voted to agricultural jnirsuits and for forty- 
eight vears he has been a resident of Clinton 
county, so that he is largely familiar with the 
history of its development and improvement. 



SETH M \r,EE COOK. 

Seth Magee Cook, following the occupation 
of farming for many years in Clinton county, 
so that his present rest from labor is well earned 
and riclil\' deserved, is now living retired in 
Dewitt, where he has made his home for the 
past twelve years. He owns a farm of one 
hundred and twenty acres in Watertown town- 
ship and dates his residence in the state from 
1844 and in Clinton county from 1853. He 
was born in Steuben cf)unty. New York. Oc- 
tober 28. 1830. and came of English lineage. 
His i)aternal grandfather. Samuel Cook, was 
one of the early residents of the Empire state 
and there Anson Cook, the father, was born and 
reared. After reaching adult age he married 
Anna Wheeler, who was born in New Hamp- 
shire. In order to provide for his family he 
followed the occupation of farming, living for 
some years in Steuben county and ultimately 
taking up his abode in Monroe county, where 
he resided for a few years. In 1844 he came 
to Michigan, settling in Hillsdale county upon 
the farm which continued to be his place of resi- 
dence until his life's labors were ended in death. 
His wife survived him for only a few years. 

Seth M. Cook is one of the family of four 
sons and two rlaughters, all of whom reached 
maturity. His brother is Emery .\. Cook, who 
is living retired in Litchfield. His sister, Mary 
L., is now Mrs. Tracy, a widow living in 
Quincy township, Branch county, Michigan. 



Seth M. Cook, of this review, was reared to 
manhood in Hillsdale county, where he arri\ed 
when fourteen \ears of age. There he re- 
mained until after the discovery of gold in Cali- 
foriu'a when, with the hope of rapidly realizing 
a fortune on the Pacific coast, he went to the 
far west in 185 1, crossing the plains with 
teams. The journey consumed four months but 
at List the travelers were gladdened by a sight 
of the green \alleys of the Golden state. While 
in California Mr. Cook engaged in a search for 
the yellow metal and spent four years in mining 
with fair success, after which he returned to 
.Michigan by way of the Isthmus of Panama 
and New York citw arriving at his home in 
Hillsdale county in T835. I^ter in that year 
be came to Clinton county, where he purchased 
a tract of wild land on section 2, Watertown 
township, heavily covered with timber. He at 
once began the difficult task of cutting down 
the trees and clearing the land for cultivation, 
and his persistent energy and labors at length 
triumphed o\er the dif^culties in his way until 
he had opened up and improved a \aluable 
farm of one hundred and twenty acres. He 
erected on this a good residence, substantial 
barns, built fences, planted fruit trees and in 
fact made the property a \ery productive and 
\alual)le farm. In the early years of his resi- 
dence here he taught school in the winter 
months of 1855-56-57 in Watertown. 

On the 28th of December. 1857. Mr. Cook 
was married to Miss Emily J. Smith, a native 
of New York. She Ijecame a teacher of Michi- 
gan, successfully following the profession prior 
to her marriage. Her father, William Smith, 
was likewise born in the Empire state, where 
he was reared to manhood and then married 
Pamelia Van Ness, also a native of New York. 
About 1837 he came to the west, settling in 
Hillsdale among its pioneer residents. The 
Indians still lived in that part of the state and 
ever)' evidence of pioneer life was to be seen. 
It was four miles to the nearest neighbor and 
the entire district was thickly C(ivered with tim- 
ber. Mr. Smith, however, hewed out a nice 
farm in the midst of the forest, on which he 
rehired his family and spent his remaining days, 



I40 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY, 



his deatli tliere occurring aT)out 1897, when he 
had reached the advanced age of eighty-nine 
years, while his wife survived him for two 
years. Mr. and ^Irs. Conk liave become the 
parents of a daughter, JuHa, who is now the 
wife of George C. Higbee. circuit court re- 
porter and stenographer at Marquette. Miclii- 
gan. 

Pohtically Mr. Cook is a stanch repubhciin 
where national issues are involved. He cast his 
first presidential liallot for Franklin Pierce in 
1852 and then, becoming deeply interested in 
the issues which ga\e ri.se to the new republican 
party, he supported its first candidate, John C. 
Fremont, in 1856. In local affairs he has been 
prominent and helpful, has served as school in- 
spector for several years, has Ijeen highway 
commissioner and has been a delegate to the 
county conventions of his party. He holds 
membership in the Methodist Episcopal church, 
of which he is one of the trustees and class 
leader, while his wife is a member of the Con- 
gregational church and both are earnest Chris- 
tian people, enjoying in high measure the es- 
teem and good will of those who know them. 
While living retired. Mr. Cook raises some 
garden products, keeping his place in excellent 
condition. He is a member of the board of 
review and is a citizen of worth, who for a half 
century has lived in Clinton county and has 
guided his life by honorable u])right iirinciples. 



ROBERT HYSLOP. 



Robert Hyslop, proprietor of the Ovid Roller 
Mills and thus closely identified with the in- 
dustrial interests of the county, is a native of 
Scotland, born on the 17th of Sejjtember. 1849. 
His father, Thomas Hyslop, formerly a resident 
of Walkerton, Ontario, is also a native of Scot- 
land and when his son Robert was five years 
of age crossed the Atlantic with his family to 
Canada, Robert there remained until eighteen 
years of age, during which time he acquired 
only a limited education. He then made his 



way into the United States and secured em- 
])loyment on a farm in Hillsdale county, Michi- 
gan. Later he worketl at coopering for a few 
years. In 1878 he entered upon an apprentice- 
ship to the milling business at South Allen, 
Hillsdale county, and in 1887 removed to 
Quincy, P)ranch count v, Michigan, where he 
liuilt a mill in partnership with Felix A, Mc- 
Keivie, conducting this under the firm style of 
McKenzie and Hyslop. The partnership was 
terminated in 1894, and after one year Mr, Hy- 
slop came to Ovid and in October, 1895, here 
]jiuThased the business of the Farmer Milling 
Company near Maple river. In the summer of 
1899 he built a new mill on the old mill lot near 
the Grand Trunk Railway. The main struc- 
ture is thirty-six by forty-eight feet and three 
stories in height and there is a ten-foot base- 
ment, while the boiler and engine room is thirty 
by forty-two feet and the capacity is one hun- 
dred barrels every twenty-four hours. The 
plant is fully equijjped with a complete roller 
process and the sifter system of bolting flour 
is used. The plant is operated by a one hun- 
dred and twenty-five horse power Corliss 
engine and the output of the mill finds a ready 
sale upon the market. Mr. Hyslop is also pro- 
prietor of an elevator and is engaged in the 
sale of coal, wood, cement and plaster. He thus 
has varied business operations and is one of the 
enterprising and representative men of Ovid, 
his carefully conducted interests bringing him 
a gratifying measure of prosperity. 

In his social relations Mr. Hyslop is an Odd 
Fellow and is also connected with the Ancient 
Order of L'nited Workmen. His political al- 
legiance is given to the democracy and for six 
\ears he served as aklerman. He has always 
taken an active and helpful part in advancing 
the welfare and progress of his cominunity but 
his time is largely concentrated upon the con- 
duct of his business interests, in which he is 
meeting with creditable success. 

In 1874 Robert Hyslop was united in mar- 
riage to Miss Elizabeth Ann Hicks, a daughter 
of Thomas Hicks, of Allen, Hillsdale county, 
Michigan. They now have a son and daughter, 
Tom H. and Bessie E., the latter the wife of 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



141 



Hamld H. Martin, of Ovid, who is assisting in 
the mill and elexalur l)usiness here. 

Tuni H. Ilyslop, the son, now actively as- 
sociated witii his father in business, was born 
Septenil)er 5, 1876, and for ten years, or since 
1R95. lias been connected with the operation 
of the mill and the conduct of the other busi- 
ness interests which claim the time and atten- 
tion of his father. The son was married on the 
28th of .\ugust. 1S98, to Miss Emma Brown, 
a daughter of Fred L. and Sarah Brown, of 
Ovid, and tiiey have two interesting children, 
Robert Elliot and Marian Louise. The father 
and son now occupy enviable positions in busi- 
nes circles and their enterprise and energ}- con- 
tribute in substantial measure to the commercial 
prosperity of Ovid as well as to their individual 
success. 



L. G. BATES. 



L. G. Bates, carrying on general merchandis- 
ing in Elsie, is one of the prominent business 
men of Clinton county, having for a third of 
a century been closely associated with com- 
mercial interests in this place. He was born in 
Litchfield. Ohio, October 13, 1847, his parents 
iieing George \V. and Emily (Robinson) Bates. 
The father, a native of Norwich, Connecticut. 
was born in 1823 and was a son of George W. 
Bates. Sr., one of the early residents of the 
Charter Oak state, who in 1828 removed with 
his family to Ohio, settling in Medina county. 
Later the family home was established in Sum- 
mit county, where George W. Bates. Jr., was 
reared to manhood. He was left an orphan at 
the early age uf nine years and was largely de- 
pendent upon his own resources froiu that time 
forward. In Summit county he married Miss 
Emily Robinson, a native of Ohio, and with the 
added impetus of providing for his home he 
begini business as a harnessmaker. which ])ur- 
suit he followed for a numlier of years. Two 
children were added to the hou.sehold before 
the i)arents left Ohio. In 1855 they came to 
Michigan, settling first in l-'airfield, Shiawassee 



county. The father rented land antl was thus 
engaged in farming for eight years or until 
1863. when he came to Clinton county and es- 
tablished a harness business in Elsie, conducting 
the enterprise for five years. His death oc- 
curred here in 1901, while his wife passed away 
in 1899. In their family were four children, 
of whom L. (_;. is the eldest. The others are: 
Lizzie, now tiie wife of Charles Clement, of 
Clinton county; Charles H., who is a farmer 
living at Victoi^ville, Michigan; and Leon, 
who resides in Shepherd, Michigan. 

1-. G. Bates was a youth of eight years when 
l)rought by his parents to Michigan and his edu- 
cation was ac(|uired in the public schools of this 
state. He has. however, largel)' supplemented 
his early school training by lessons gained in 
the school of experience. He remained with 
his father until about eighteen years of age, 
after which he went to Ohio, where he learned 
the harnessmaking trade, serving an apprentice- 
ship of three years. Subsequently he worked 
with his father in Elsie and afterward formed 
a business connection with Joseph I'. 1 lasty. 
They opened a stock of general merch-uidise in 
El.sie. but sulj.sequently Mr. Bates purchased his 
l)artner's interest and has since continued in the 
business alone. He has erected a large two- 
storv' brick block, one of the best business 
houses of the town and carries a large and well 
selected line of general merchandise, having 
built up an extensive trade which makes his 
venture a profitable and gratifying one. 

On the 28th of May. 1873, Mr. Bates was 
united in marriage to Miss Amanda Sickles, a 
native of Clinton county. lx)m and reared in 
i"!lsie. Her father. Job D. Sickles, was one of 
the early residents of this part of the state and 
served as a member of the county board, being 
supervisor for a nunil)er of years. In the fam- 
ily of Mr. and Mrs. Bates are five children, four 
sons and a daughter: Clare G., who is now a 
practicing dentist of Durand. Michigan; Clyde 
D., who is married and is engaged in business 
with his father; Bion L.. who is a graduate of 
.\nn Arbor University and is pnicticing 
tlentistry in Elsie; Harold, at home; and Ruth 
E., who completes the family. 



142 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



Mr. Bates takes an active interest in public 
affairs and is tiie clianipion of many progressive 
measures that have been of marked vakie to liis 
community. He is a lifelong republican, his first 
presidential vote being cast for General U. S. 
Grant in 1868, since which time he has supported 
each nominee of the party at the head of its 
ticket. In local political circles he has been in- 
fluential and was elected and served for two 
or three years as township clerk and later by 
re-election was continued in the office of super- 
visor for fifteen years, acting as chairman of 
the board for one term. He was also chairman 
of a number of important committees and did 
effecti\c and able service for his county in the 
discharge of his duties. He has also Ijeen presi- 
dent of the village board for two terms and has 
frequently been a delegate to county and state 
conventions. Fraternally he is a Master Mason, 
has filled various offices in the lodge and is now 
a past master. Both he and his wife are con- 
nected with the Order of the Eastern Star. Mr. 
Bates has been a resident of the state since 
1853, covering a half century, and is therefore 
largely familiar with the history of Clinton 
county. He entered upon his business career to 
find that in the work-a-day world there is ample 
opportunity for the exercise of one's talents and 
energies. .\s the 3^ears have gone by he has 
carefully directed his labors with due regard to 
the rights of his fellowmen as well as to his 
individual success and in the management of 
his mercantile interests he has made his place of 
business of value to the local public as well as 
a gratifying source of revenue. 



CHARLES S. WILLIAMS. 

Among the prominent and representative 
citizens of Clinton county is num])ered Charles 
-S. W^illiams, living on section 1. Bingham 
township. He was born in Northampton 
county, Pennsylvania, March 19, 1832, and is 
a son of John and Mary (Le Van) Williams, 
both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania. 
The paternal grandfather, Charles Williams, 



was a native of New Hampshire and a descend- 
ant of Roger Williams, of Rhode Island. In 
early life he learned the carpenter's trade and 
removed to Pennsylvania in which state he mar- 
ried a Miss Gernard, a descendant of an old 
Holland family, of which a genealogical rec- 
ord has recently been prepared and published in 
book form. .\t one time they were visited by 
his t\\'o brothers from Spafford, New Hamp- 
shire. The grandfather took an active part in 
the progress and upbuilding of the church and 
his life was exemplary in its fidelity to honor- 
able ])rinciples. He departed this life in 1818, 
and his wife passed away in 1861. 

John Williams, the father of our subject, 
was born in 1809 and in the Keystone state 
learned and followed the blacksmith's trade for 
seven years, at the end of which time he re- 
moved to a farm, whereon he resided vmtil 
1841. In that year he accompanied his mother 
to Niagara county. New York, the journey be- 
ing made in covered wagons across the Alle- 
ghany mountains, it requiring twelve days to 
complete the trip. John Williams then entered 
land in Cambria township and followed farm- 
ing until his death, which occurred December 
31. 1883. He had long survived his wife, 
wild died in 1846. leaving two .sons and a 
daughter, namely : Charles S. : Theodore C, 
who is living in Cambria township; and Mrs. 
Mary Lucinda Newman, who resides upon the 
old homestead farm in that township. 

Qiarles S. Williams began his education in 
the public schools of Pekin, Niagara county. 
New York, and afterward attended the Wil- 
son Collegiate Institute, where he made rapid 
progress in his work, displaying special apti- 
tude in his studies. He was graduated in 1855 
and during his college days was president of 
the AlfAa Phi Society and was classed as one 
of the strongest debaters of the school, for which 
reason he was .selected to give an address at the 
Philadelphia meeting. In the spring of 1856 
he entered the law office of Wood & Murry, 
at Lockport. New York, where he did clerical 
work and the same time took up the study of 
Blackstonc, Kent's Commentaries and the his- 
torv of England bv Hume and Macaulav, but 




CHARLKS S. WILLIAMS. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



145 



the follow iiig spring his uncle, Charles C. Wil- 
liams, died and he went to live with his grand- 
mother, remaining with her until her death in 
1 86 1. He never resumed his law stu<lies. 
When nineteen years of age he began teaching, 
following the profession for ten years. After 
his marriage he operated his father-in-law's 
farm on the shares, being connected with its 
improvement until i8()4, when in the fall he 
answered tn the call to arms, enlisting in the 
Eighteenth Xcw ^'ork Battery known as the 
Black Morse Battery under Captain Mack. 
Soon afterward this command was ordered to 
Baton Rrtuge, Louisiana, where they remained 
until February of the following year and then 
marched to Naby Cave at the mouth of Mobile 
bay. On the 17th of the following month they 
began a long and hard march to Spanish Fort, 
where they joined General Canby's division 
and for fourteen days were under constant fire 
almost day and night, at the end of which time 
the enemy evacuated the fort. The Union 
troops then marched to I'ort Blakely but Mr. 
William's command was Um late to participate 
in the engagement there but afterward did skir- 
mi.sh dut}' at .Mobile City, fulhjwing the enemy 
to Mclnto.sh Bluff, where the Confederates had 
a naval station. There they captured the fleet 
of five gunboats, which were used to transport 
the Union troojjs back to Mobile City, where 
they were greete<l with the joyful news that the 
war was ended. 

Mr. Williams received an honorable dis- 
charge in that city and started at once for 
home, taking a Ixiat at New Orleans and land- 
ing at New York in July. After spending a 
w-eek with friends in that city he reached his 
destination on the 31st of July and thus was 
clo.sed a chajjter of hanbships and trials in his 
life history which included many important 
battles and that left him impaired in health so 
that the government now grants him a pension 
in recognition of his services. 

Having decided to come to Michigan. Mr. 
Williams made his way to Clinton county and 
purchased the Deacon Harrison farm of forty 
acres on section i, Bingham township, where a 
small clearing had been made. From Elsie he 



hauled the lumlier used in building the first 
house and afterward he returned to New York 
and brought his wife and family to the new 
home which he had prepared. Here he has 
since lived, making improvements on the farm, 
to which he added until he became ow'ner of 
two hundred and ten acres, forty acres of which 
he has deeded to his son William A. 

On the 24th of September, i860. Mr. Wil- 
liams was married to Miss Man,- Jane Kelsey, 
the eldest daughter of William Kelsey, one of 
the oldest merchants of Niagara county. New 
^'ork. They had three children, of whom Wil- 
liam A. is now living. The others were E. 
Kverett, who died in 1867: and one child that 
(lied in infancy, while the wife and mother 
passed away in Xo\cml)er, 1904. William .\. 
Williams has now assumed the responsibility 
of carrying on the work of the entire farm and 
although he maintains his residence in St. Johns 
he spends most of his time with his father since 
his mother's death. J le married Miss ^^ary L. 
Lapham, a daughter of Nathaniel Lapham, one 
of the early settlers of the township and there 
is one child of this marriage, Gertrude. 

Mrs. C. S. Williams was born in Niagara 
county. New ''^'ork, .\ugusl i. 1837. and was 
always a cheerful companion and helpmate to 
her husband. It was with a brave heart and 
coiu'ageous purjiose that she undertook the care 
of her family while her young husband was in 
the army and she suffered much during a severe 
and cold winter, wood being \ery scarce, and 
but for the kindly offices of a friendly Indian 
would have been without a fire, the red man 
bringing her a load of hickory chips, for which 
he would take no \)Tiy. Provisions were also 
high but she bravely kept up the struggle until 
her husband's return from the army. She was 
a great lover of music, in which she had l)een 
educated, and she also had the strongest at- 
tachment for all that is beautiful in nature, 
spending many hours amid both wild and culti- 
vated flowers. Her tastes were of the most re- 
fined and intelligent character and her influence 
was beneficial in religious and social circles in 
her immediate neighborhood. She was always 
deeply interested in the young and their 



146 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



pleasures and she had no truer or wanner 
friends dian among the young people. On the 
4th of July, 1904, she became ill and lingered 
until Thanksgiving day, when she passed from 
this life, her death Ijeing the occasion of deep 
and wide-spread regret. 

Mr. Williams is a stanch democrat and has 
never failed to cast a ballot at a presidential 
election since giving his first vote to Franklin 
Pierce. He was a loyal soldier of the Civil 
war, has ever been a supporter of progressive 
public measures, and is widely known and 
honored in the county where he has now made 
his home for almost forty years. 



THEODORE H. COX. 

Theodore H. Cox, whose home on section 
13, Essex township, is a well improved farm of 
one hundred acres, was born in Lenawee county, 
Michigan, October 29, 1S39, his birthplace 
being his father's farm in the township of 
Ridgeway. He is a son of John Cox, a na- 
tive of Pennsylvania, born and reared in Bucks 
county, where lie was also married to Miss 
Jane Thompson, likewise a nati\e of that state. 
He came to the west with his family about 
1830 and was one of the first settlers of Lena- 
wee county, where he carried on general agri- 
cultural i)ursuits. He aided in the earl}^ de- 
•\-elopment and success of the state and witnessed 
its progress as it emerged from pioneer condi- 
tions and took on all of the exidences of an 
advanced ci\'ilization. There he reared his 
family and spent his remaining davs. his chil- 
dren being nine in number, of whom fi\e are 
yet living. 

Theodore H. Cox spent the greater part of 
his youth in Lenawee county. He is largely 
a self-made man who has continually broad- 
ened his knowledge thmugh reading and in- 
vestigation. He remained with his father until 
he had attained his majority and assisted him 
in the operation of the home farm. His entire 
life has been devoted to agricultural pursuits 
and his judgment is sound on all matters con- 



nected with the tilling of the soil and the matter 
of stock. 

In December, 1866, in Lenawee county, Mr. 
Cox was united in marriage to Miss Sarah 
Freer, a native of that county, where her girl- 
hood days were passed. Her father, J. C. Freer, 
was likewise a native of Michigan. In the 
autumn prior to his marriage Mr. Cox visited 
Clinton county and purchased eighty acres of 
land in the midst of the forest. The following 
s]jring he took up his abode thereon and began 
clearing and cultivating the fields. Having cut 
down the trees he placed the land under the 
plow and in due course of time garnered rich 
harvests, which were indicative of the care and 
lalior he bestowed upon the fields. The land 
is now clear of stumps, is well fenced and in 
fact constitutes a highly cultivated farm. To 
his original purchase he added twenty acres so 
that he now has a good farm of one hundred 
acres. For twenty-six years he lived in a log 
house but now owns and occupies a large brick 
residence, which is one of the best farm houses 
in this part of the county. He has also built 
a commodious and substantial barn, has put 
up a windpump. has planted a good orchard 
and has added otlier improvements. There are 
no weeds growing along the wayside or in the 
fields and there is a notable absence of die 
Canada thistle. The farm is indeed neat and 
thrifty in ajipearance and everything about the 
place is indicative of the careful supervision 
of a careful and progressive owner. He care- 
fully tills the soil and also raises sheep, and 
both branches of his business are proving a 
good source of income. He takes great pride 
in keeping tiie farm in good condition, the 
fence corners and roadsides being free of weeds, 
while the fieM< promise golden harvests and the 
stock shows his care. 

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Co.\ have been l)orn 
seven children: Alzina. now the wife of Burton 
McXaughtnn : Jennie, the wife of Adelbert 
Blackney: Lewis, a farmer of Essex: Frank 
and I^d. twins, who are married and follow 
farming in Essex township: Hattie, the wife 
of Frank Snyder, of Owosso: an<I Mrs. Nina 
Rvan, living in Ovid. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



147 



When age conferred upon Mr. Cox the right 
of franchise lie proudly cast his first presidential 
vote for Abraham Lincoln in i860 and has 
never failed to support each presidential candi- 
date of the party since that time. He has never 
sought or desired office, preferring to give his 
undivided attention to his business afifairs, and 
he has worked hard and j^ersistently as the years 
have gone by but his labors have lieen crowned 
with success. 



JAMES MONTAGUE. 

James Montague, deceased, who in his busi- 
ness and private life won the respect and con- 
fidence of his fellowmen and l)ecame known as 
a representative citizen of Clinton county, was 
born in Middlesex. Canada. March 30, 1847, 
his parents being William and Mary Elizabeth 
(St. Clair) Montague. The mother was a 
native of Canada and represented families of 
English lineage. William Montague, however, 
was from Maine. 

When seventeen years of age James Mon- 
tague came to Clinton county and settled in 
the village of Ovifl. where he followed the 
blacksmiths trade until twenty-six years of 
age. He then married and located on section 
24, Olive tnwnshii), near the town line between 
Olive and \'ictor. having there eighty acres of 
land. He also had eighty acres of unimproved 
land on .section 7. Victor township. Only ten 
acres of his home farm had been cleared when 
he took possession of the place. He remained 
on the farm for alxiut three years, during which 
lime he cleared fifty acres. He then sold the 
property an<l on the 8th of March. 1877. re- 
moved to Sciota townshii). Shiawassee county, 
where he remained until March 14. 1878, when 
he sold that property and came to the fann 
on section 8. Victor township. Clinton county, 
on which his widow now resides. Here he se- 
cured one hundred and twenty acres of land 
which was partially cleared and he made the 
fann his home throughout his remaining days. 
He also added a tract of eighty acres so that 
at the time of his death his realty possessions 



were represented by a valuable farm property 
of two hundred acres. He built numerous out- 
buildings upon his place and added all modern 
equipments and accessories, carrying forward 
his farm work along progressive lines that re- 
sulted in the acquirement of a handsome com- 
petence. He was very careful and painstaking 
in all his business afifairs and in his public duties 
as well. 

On the 8th of March. 1873. Mr. Montague 
was married to Miss Harriet Parker, a daugh- 
ter of John and Sarah (Cronkite) Parker, the 
former a native of New Jersey and the latter 
of New York. They came in 1837 to Michi- 
gan, settling in Laingsburg. This was the year 
in which the state was admitted to the Union. 
The father spent his remaining days upon a 
farm in that locality, passing away in 1863, ^t 
the age of fifty-eight years. His wife departed 
this life in 1901. at the age of eighty-six years. 
In their family were thirteen children, of whom 
seven are yet living. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Mon- 
tague were born six diildren : James Wesley, 
who was married. February ig. 1902. to Delia 
E. Shumaker. by whom he has two children, 
Blanche Mourea and Evora Irene, and they are 
now living on section 9, Victor township; 
Henry N., who was married. March 12. 1901, 
to Lizzie Eiseman and resides upon the home- 
stead farm: Rubie, the wife of Daniel Shu- 
maker, of Olive township: Fonda Ethel, at 
home: and Sarah Cressy and John C, twins, 
at home. At the wedding of Mr. and Mrs. 
Shinnakcr. January 26, 1905, the guests were 
served with strawberries that had been canned 
almost twenty-six years and were pronounced 
delicious. It was at the request of her father 
that the berries were saved for that occasion and 
although he did not live to be present his wishes 
were carried out. 

-Mr. Montague was a stanch republican in 
politics ;ind at one time sen-ed as treasurer of 
his township. He was also L^nited States juror 
in Detroit for two weeks in September, 1899. 
He was always loyal to the trust reposed in 
him whether of a public or private nature and 
he lived an upright, honorable life that won him 
the respect and confidence of his fellowmen. He 



148 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



passed away March 21. 1900. after an illness 
(if five (lays, respected by all who knew him, 
and his loss was deeply regretted by many 
friends as well as his immediate family. 

Since her husband's death Mrs. Montague 
has erected her present residence and also the 
liarns upnn the place and has bought eighty acres 
of land additional on section 9, Victor town- 
ship. She also bought eighty-two acres on sec- 
tion 10, Olive township, for her daughter 
Ruble. She has superior business qtialifications 
as is .shown in the management of her valuable 
farming property and at the same time she has 
the social ciualities which have endeared her to 
a large circle of friends, making her a welcome 
visitor in manv of the best homes of the countv. 



JAMES J. WARREN. 

James f. W'arren. living in Greenbush town- 
ship, has been a resident df Michigan since 
1S56 and of Clinton county since 1859. His 
birth occurred in Orleans county. New York, 
August 6, icS39, his parents Ijeing Seth and 
Catherine (Johnston) Warren. The maternal 
grandfather was in the commissary department 
during the Revolutionary war and a butcher 
by trade, following that pursuit in western New 
York. He continued a resident of the Em- 
pire state until his death. The father was a 
native of New York and in 1856 removed west- 
ward to Owosso township, Shiawassee county. 
Michigan, where he purchased a partially 
cleared farm and thereon spent his remaining 
days. His wife was twice married and as Mrs 
Catherine Hall became the mother of two chil- 
dren, both of whom are deceased, William Hall 
having died in Bancroft, his remains being in- 
terred in Owosso. while Airs. Jane Mungcr died 
in Tennessee. The children of the second mar- 
riage, two daughters and one son, are : Mrs. 
George R. Warren, of Shiawassee county ; 
James J. : and Caroline, who died in Orleans 
county, New York, at the age of eleven years. 
Mrs. Warren survived her husband for some 
time. 



James J. Warren was educated in the district 
schools of New York and with his parents came 
to Shiawassee county in 1856. On die death of 
his father he took charge of the home farm, 
which he operated for three years, and then re- 
moved to Clinton county, buying forty acres of 
land on section 19. Greenbush township, only 
five acres of which was cleared. While im- 
pri)\-ing this he purchased another forty acres 
adjoining. This was partially improved and 
later he bought twenty acres on section 18. 
The last mentioned tract remained as a part 
of his farm until 1902, when he sold it to Frank 
Bishop and purchased forty acres soudi of the 
farm on section 19 and forty acres on section 
20. This is a well improved farm of one hun- 
dred and sixty acres equipped with good 
buildings and well kept fences. He erected his 
residence in 1875 and his barn in 1869. He has 
been successful in his farming interests, work- 
ing diligently and persistently year after year 
until his labors have been crowned with a 
marked measure of prosperity. 

Mr. Warren was married on the ist of 
January. 1862. to Miss Sophia Elizabeth War- 
ren, a daughter of Henry and Harriet ( Ridz- 
bridger) Warren. lx:>th of whom were natives 
of England. Though of the same name the 
two families were not related, the parents of 
Mrs. Warren being natives of Charwood, near 
London. Englanfl. where her birdi occurred. In 
1850. she came with her parents to America 
and her father followed farming near Roches- 
ter, New York, up to the time of his death, 
which occurred in 1862. His wife survived 
him for only a few weeks. In their family were 
eleven children, of whom eight are yet living. 
Those who still survive are as follows : George 
R.. of Bennington, Shiawassee county, who 
married a sister of James J. Warren of this re- 
view; William, of Yuba county, California; 
Mrs. Eliza Berger. of New York; Sophia 
Elizabeth; Henry, who is in the west; Thomas, 
a resident of St. Louis, Michigan ; Mrs. Anna 
Talcott, of Chicago; and Mrs. Mar}' Buffing- 
ton, of New York. The deceased members of 
the family are: Sarah, who died in infancy; 
Alfred, who died in Batavia. New York ; and 




I 



» 





MR. AND MRS. J. J. WARREN AND GRANDCHILDREN. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



151 



Stephen, whose death occurred in Howard City. 
Michigan. Four brothers of this family were 
soldiers of the Civil war. Alfred and Stephen 
enlisted in the New York Regfiinent of In- 
fantry, the former as a commissioned officer and 
the latter as a substitute. Although Alfred 
Warren escaped injury his health was so badly 
impaired as to finally cause his death on the 
4th of October, 1898. Stephen Warren was 
seriously wounded in the second volley fireil 
in the battle of the Wilderness, a bullet strik- 
ing him in the upper jaw, carrying away half 
of the jaw and part of his teeth. .Although he 
was not disfigured in appearance this wound 
caused his deatli. After many years of suffer- 
ing he answered the last bugle call in 1885, 
leaving a widow and one son, Bernard S., who 
is making rapid progress in the business world, 
being now secretary of one of the large furni- 
ture companies of Grand Rapids. Henry and 
Tliomas Warren, who were also soldiers of the 
Civil war, escaped serious injury. Henrj' en- 
listed in the First Michigan Cavalry from Ovid 
and was not wounded, while Thomas, who en- 
listed in a New York regiment of infantry, was 
struck by a bullet in the foot while on picket 
duty. He was first drafted for service and 
afterward returned home ill and the second 
time he went to the front as a substitute. All 
four of the brothers served until the close of 
the war. 

Mr. and Mrs. James J. Warren have an 
adopted daughter, Lottie A., their niece, being 
the daughter of Henry and Florence Warren. 
She is the wife of Walter Fames, of Owosso, 
and they had three children, of whom two are 
living: Florence A., who always spends her 
vacations with her grandfather and grand- 
mother Warren ; and Charles J., of Owosso. 
The deceased child, Edna K., was a twin sister 
of Florence and died December 9, 1901, her 
remains being laid to rest in the family vault 
in the Maple Grove cemetery of Ovid. 

Mr. and Mrs. W^arren are prominent and 
well known people of Greenbush township, en- 
joying in unqualified measure the esteem and 
friendship of those with whom they have been 
associated. In politics a republican, he was 
10 



elected justice of the peace in 1891, filling the 
otifice until 1903. Always interested in the 
cause of public education, he has done effective 
service in behalf of the school board of district 
Xo. 8 through twenty-one consecutive years, 
lie is a member of St. Johns lodge, No. 105, 
A. F. & .\. M., and he and his wife are mem- 
bers of the Methodist Episcopal church, in 
which he is serviner as steward. 



NELSON McFARREN. 

Nelson McFarren, living on section 10, Bath 
township, was born on a farm in Washtenaw 
county, Michigan, May 25. 1852, and is a son 
of John McFarren, a native of New York and 
a brother of Clarence McFarren. whose history 
appears on another page of this work. When 
a youth of fifteen years Nelson McFarren came 
to this county and assisted his father in clearing 
and opening up a farm, thus developing the 
homestead place which in course of time be- 
came one of the best farming properties of the 
community. On attaining his majority, how- 
ever, he left home and started out in life for 
himself, soon after purchasing forty acres of 
land on which he now resides. With character- 
istic energv' he began to clear and fence this 
and to make the place a productive tract that 
would crown his labors with success. His 
hope of winning a competence was realized and 
in the course of years his financial resources 
justified the purchase of another forty-acre 
tract. This he also cleared, grubbed out the 
stumps and ait down the trees and now there is 
a good orchard where once stood forest trees, 
and other portions of the farm are covered by 
fields of waving grain. He has built a big 
basement bam and added other buildings and 
his fann is indeed a well improved property. 

In March, 1883, occurred the marriage of 
Nelson McFarren and Miss Ada Saxton, a na- 
tive of Oakland county, Michigan, and a daugh- 
ter of J. B. Saxton, who was bom in New 
York and came to this state at an early age, 
establishing his home in Clinton county. In the 

4 1 



152 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



family of Mr. and Mrs. McFarren are three 
children : Floyd and Harry, who aid in carry- 
ing on die home farm; and Esther, who is like- 
wise with her parents. 

Mr. McFarren has teen called to some local 
offices, having been elected and served as high- 
way commissioner bnt his ambitions and aspira- 
tions are not in this line. In his political views 
he is independent, supporting the candidate 
rather than the party. His attention is given 
to his farm work and he has made a specialty 
of the breeding and raising of mules and has 
raised and sold some very valuable animals. 
His entire life has been passed in Michigan, for 
he was reared in Clinton county and has ever 
been known as a man of unfaltering industry, 
whose farm shows the labor and care that he 
has testowetl upon it. Fair and just in all his 
dealings and reliable in his business trans- 
actions, his genuine worth is widely acknowl- 
edged by those who know him. 



J. D. SLEIGHT. 

J. D. Sleight, one of the public-spirited men 
of Victor township, is found as a co-operant 
factor in many measures that have been of sub- 
stantial benefit to this section of the state and 
at the same time he has capably and successfully 
conducted private business interests, owning 
a well improvetl farm of two hundred acres on 
section 20, Victor township. He has lived in 
Clinton county since 1866 and his acquaintance 
is wide and favorable. His birth occurred in 
Dutchess county, New York, at Hyde Park, 
near Poughkeepsie, on the 13th of December, 
1844, his parents being Frederick and Eliza- 
beth (Paulding) Sleight, who were also natives 
of Dutchess county. The father followed farm- 
ing there for a numter of years, then attracted 
by the opportunities of the growing west made 
his way to Michigan in 1867, joining his son 
in Clinton county. 

J. D. Sleight had been reared in the county 
of his nativity and was educated in the com- 
mon and select schools there, having the ad- 
vantage of scholastic training at Pleasant 



Plains. He was a young man of seventeen 
years when, his patriotic spirit being aroused, 
he offered his aid to the government, enlisting 
on the nth of October, 1862, as a member of 
Company H, One Hundred and Fiftieth New 
York Infantry. He joined the Army of the 
Potomac and participated in the hotly con- 
tested battle of Gettysburg, where the two 
armies retreated and advanced in their strug- 
gle to gain ix)Ssession of the field until the dead 
were strewn so thickly over the ground that it 
was impossible to walk without stepping upon 
a dead or wounded soldier. Later he was trans- 
ferred to General Sherman's command at Chat- 
tanooga and was in the battle of Missionaiy 
Ridge and on the Atlanta campaign, where he 
was under fii^e e\-ery day for more than a month. 
He assisted in the capture of Joneslooro and of 
.Vtlanta and went with Sherman on the cele- 
brated march to the sea, ])articipating in the 
fight at Goldsboro, North Carolina, after which 
he marched on to Richmond and later to Wash- 
ington. D. C, there participating in the grand 
militarv pageant which was a fitting celebration 
to the close of the war. the victorious troops 
marching in armed array through the streets 
of the capita! city amid the cheers of thousands 
of rejoicing citizens. Mr. Sleight was honor- 
ably discharged in Washington and was mus- 
tered out at Pnughkeepsie. New York, on the 
I2tli (if July, 1865. He then returned home 
;ind attended school until the following spring, 
when he came west to Michigan and during the 
summer months worked at farm labor and in 
the winter seasons in die lumber woods, being 
thus engaged up to the time of his marriage. 

On the 1 8th of December, 1870, Mr. Sleight 
was married, in Victor township, to Miss 
Louisa Read, who was born in that town- 
ship, and was the daughter of Ainsworth 
Read, one of the first settlers of the 
county. Her father had come to Michigan from 
Massachusetts at a \ery early day in the de- 
\elopment of this part of the state. Following 
his marriage Mr. Sleight settled upon the farm 
where he now resides, beginning there with one 
hundred and sixty acres of land which he cleared 
and on which he built a log house, making it 
his home for a few years. He then bought 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



153 



forty acres more where he resides and he now 
has a valuable farm of two hundred acres. The 
little log cabin has been replaced by a model 
two-story frame residence, built in atractive 
style of architecture and forming one of the 
pleasing features of the landscape. There are 
also two good barns and outbuiltlings which 
furnish ample shelter for farm machinery, for 
the stock and grain. An orchard of his plant- 
ing is now yielding its fruits in season and the 
farm is altogether a well improved place. 

Mr. and Mrs. Sleight have three children : 
Raymond D., who is engaged in the practice 
of medicine at Battle Creek, Michigan; Pro- 
fessor E. Roscow Sleight, a man of superior 
education, now connected with the military 
academy at Orchard Lake, where he is acting 
as professor of mathematics, and who is mar- 
ried and has one child, Norman ; and Roland 
W., who is at home. They lost their first bom. 
.\insworth. who died at the age of six years. 

Politically Mr. Sleight is a republican, un- 
faltering in support of the party since he cast 
his first presidential ballot for U. S. Grant. He 
has been elected and served as highway com- 
missioner and has also been township treasurer, 
while for the seventh term he is serving as su- 
pervisor, being now a member of the county 
board. He has been made a meml^er of various 
important committees and for one year served 
as chairman of the board. He lias been sent as 
a delegate to various conventions of his party 
and has acted as chairman of the township cen- 
tral committee. He and his wife were reared 
in the faith of the United Brethren church, of 
which they are now meml^ers and Mr. Sleight 
belongs to the Grand Army of the Republic and 
to the Royal Arcanum. He has been a resident 
of Clinton county for thirty-nine years and is 
thoroughly identified with its interests, its de- 
velopment and its prosperity. He has helped to 
make the county what it is today and is num- 
bered among its best citizens. He also has rea- 
son to lie proud of a creditable soldier record 
for he fought valiantly for the old flag and the 
preservation of the Union. He has likewise 
Ijeen active and influential in political circles and 
his good business ability, tried integrity and de- 



votion to the genend welfare have made him 
worthy of the esteem and confidence of all 
with whnm he has been associated. 



JEREMIAH B. HOWE. 

Jeremiah B. Howe, living on section 21, 
01i\'e township, is a well known and prosperous 
farmer of the community and has an excellent 
tract of eighty acres that annually returns to 
him good crops. His birth occurred in Lansing, 
Michigan, on the 13th of August, 1854. His 
father. Philander Howe, was born in Tompkins 
county. New York, in 18 15, and was a son 
of i\aron Howe, likewise a native of that state 
and of English descent. The great-grandfather. 
Captain Howe, was a soldier of the Revolution- 
ary war and served as one of General Washing- 
ton's body guards. Philander Howe was reared 
in the Empire state and in early life was a lieu- 
tenant in the militia. He married Miss Mar\' 
Hyde, a nati\'e of New York, and on leaving 
the east they removed to Ohio, where they re- 
sided for two or three years. In 1854 they 
came to Michigan, settling in Lansing, and in 
the fall of the same year took up their abode 
on section 16, Olive township, Clinton county, 
upon a tract of raw land, which Mr. Howe 
cleared and fenced. He built thereon a com- 
fortaljle home and made the farm a productive 
and valuable property. He later traded this for 
a farm on section 20 and bought more land, 
owning cight\--seven acres, on which he placed 
good buildings and many modern improvements. 
There he reared his family and spent his re- 
maining days, his death occurring on the 5th 
of March, 1903. His first wife died in 1857 
and later he married again. 

Jeremiah B. Howe was the youngest in a 
family of six children of the father's first mar- 
riage. He was reared in his native township 
and pursued his education in the public schools, 
continuing with his father until thirt)' years 
of age, when he helped carry on the farm. He 
was married here, Octolier 3, 1883. to Miss 
Nellie Williams, who was born and reared here 



154 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



and was formerly a teacher. She died Decem- 
ber 23. 1895, leaving two daughters. Elma and 
Gertrude, who are at home with their father. 
On the 22d of February, 1897, Mr. Howe was 
again married, his second union being with 
Ehira E. Stampfly, a native of this loadity and 
a daugliter of Benedict Stampfly, one of the 
early settlers of the county. There is one son 
by the second marriage, Myron S. Howe. 

After his first marriage Jeremiah B. Howe 
bought and settled upon the farm where he now 
resides and in tlie spring of 1885 began its 
cultivation and improvement. Later he built 
a good house and a big Ijank barn, also built 
a granary and other necessary outl)uildings for 
the shelter of grain and stock, planted an or- 
chard, fenced his Imildings and in addition to 
the tilling of the soil he also raised good grades 
of stock. Politically he is a stanch republican. 
He was elected and ser\'ed for three years as 
township clerk, was supervisor for three years, 
has also been on the school board and was 
treasurer of the district for sixteen years. Mrs. 
Howe is a member of the Methodist Episcopal 
church, while Mr. Howe is a member of the 
Masonic fraternity. He is now classed with 
the prosperous farmers of the community and 
has a wide and favorable acquaintance in this 
part of the state, where he has long resided. 



MARCUS L. TAFT. 



Since Marais L. Taft became a resident of 
Clinton county changes have been wrought that 
are truly marvelous, the wild forest region hav- 
ing been converted into highly cultivated famis 
and attractive homes, the entire county becom- 
ing peopled with a contented, enlightened and 
prosperous population. Mr. Taft was born in 
Broome county, New York, October 15, 1839, 
his parents being Israel W. and Lucy Wood- 
ruff (Barnes) Taft. They were natives of 
Broome county and came to Michigan in the 
year 1856. The year before the father had 
visited Qinton county and had located his farm 
in Ovid township, adjoining on the west the 



one now owned and occupied by his son, Marcus 
L. Taft. on section 28. He took up two hun- 
dred acres of land, sixty acres of which had 
been cleared. Israel Taft resided there for a 
number of years and then removed to Port 
Huron, where he became general agent for a 
stage business. Finally, however, he returned 
to his farm, where his death occurred when he 
was nfty-eight years of age. His wife had died 
when their son Marcus was but twelve years of 
age. Israel Taft had filled a number of local 
offices and was an enterprising citizen whose 
worth was widely acknowledged. By his first 
marriage he had four children : Marcus L. ; 
Frank, who is living in Bingham township, 
Clinton county-; and Lewis and Heniy, both 
deceased. For his second wife the father mar- 
ried Mrs. Mary Sprong, of Albany, New York, 
and they became the parents of seven children, 
of whom three are yet living: Alice, the wife 
of George Daniels, of Ovid; Edna, the wife 
of Frank Smith, of Ovid township; and Steven 
A., who is living on the old homestead farm in 
Ovid townsiiip. Those who have passed away 
are : Louise, who became the wife of Frank 
^Villiams and died in California ; and three who 
died in infancy. 

Marcus L. Taft is indebted to the district 
schools for the early educational privileges he 
enjoyed and aftenvard studied in a select school 
in Marathon, New York. Subsequently he 
began farming on his own account, operating 
his father's land on the shares for two years, 
after which he bought forty acres of land, con- 
stituting a part of his present farm. Subse- 
quently he purchased two hundred acres more 
in small lots. Nearly all of this was wild land 
but he has transformed it into a very valuable 
and productive farm of two hundred and forty 
acres. His first home was a log cabin but he 
has since erected modem buildings, his im- 
provements being among the finest in the town- 
ship. Everything upon his farm is up-to-date 
and he is thorough and systematic in his 
methods, displaying earnest thought and con- 
sideration of the questions involved as well as 
care, energy and enterprise in carrying on the 
work whereby he has attained a gratifying 




M. L. TAFT. 




•MRS. M. L. TAFT. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



159 



Tiieasure of success. Difficulties and obstacles 
have barred liis path and be has suffered greatly 
from ill health but by means of proper man- 
agement and uiu-emitting diligence he has 
gained prosjierity in the face of much discour- 
agement. He recalls with pleasure many of 
the scenes now referred to as the "happy days 
in the old log house." Marvelous changes have 
since l)een wrought as man has reclaimed this 
region for the purposes of civilization and has 
.set the stamp of improvement anrl progress 
here. He can remember the time when the 
road to his present farm was laid with logs as 
far north as Sbepards\ille. Many of the roads 
of the neighborhood were not yet opened and 
the most far-sighted could scarcely h.'ive 
dreamed of the great ini])rovenicnt which was 
soon to take place. 

On the 8th of March. 1863, occurred the 
m;u"riage of Mr. Taft and Miss Isa1)ella ^h)ore. 
a daughter of Matbew and Isabella ( Lowry) 
^bxire. both of whom were natives of Ireland. 
The family came to Michigan when Mrs. Taft 
was cle\en years of age. settling in \'ictor town- 
ship. The mother had i)reviously died in Xew 
York state and tiie father died in the Civil war 
while serving with the Twenty-seventh Michi- 
gan Infantry as a member of Company K. bis 
death being the result of wounds sustained in 
battle. Mrs. Taft has a brother, Joseph Moore. 
Unto our subject and his wife have l)een born 
a daughter and son: Matie A., the wife of 
.\m(Mi I'utnam. of Ovid: and Israel W.. who 
is living upon the home farm in 0\ id town- 
-ship. 

Where national issues are involved Mr. Taft 
votes with the democratic party but at local 
elections casts an independent ballot. He is re- 
garded as one of the substantial men of his 
township, owing his success entirely to his own 
efforts. He i>issesses the strong determination 
that enables him to carry forward to successful 
completion whatever he undertakes and where 
others would have l)ecome discouraged and dis- 
heartened he has ])ressed forward until his la- 
bors have been crowned with prosperity. More- 
over he is entitled to mention in this volume 
as a pioneer resident of the county and he re- 



lates in interesting manner many epi.sodes of 
the early days. He was one of the organizers 
and first directors of the State Bank of Ovid 
and has been its vice president for three years. 



SAMUEL M. POST. M. D. 

Dr. Samuel .\1. Post, physician and surgeon 
of St. Johns making a specialty of rheumatism 
in his practice, is a native of Sherbrook, l>eriy 
county. Cana<la. l>>rn on the 4th of March. 
1848. his parents being Stilman W. and Sarah 
(Osgood) Post, the former a native of Ver- 
mont and the latter of Canada. The Post fam- 
ily was an old one in the Green Mountain state. 
The great-grandfather. W^illiam Post, was a 
nati\e of Ceorgia. \'ermont. and died at the 
\erv \enerable age of ninet\-four years. He 
had read the liible completely through eight 
times. His son. Moses Post, was born May 
[J. 1773, and married Lucy Warner, who was 
born Xo\ ember ji. 1780. He died .\])ril 19. 
1854. while bis wife passed away January 7. 
1856. They were the parents of nine children, 
of whom Stilnran W. Post was the seventh in 
order of birth. The Osgood family came from 
Canada, where Samuel Osgood, grandfather of 
Dr. Post, lived and died. In 1849 Stilman W. 
Post removed with his f.amily from Canada to 
the state of Xew York and in 1834 became a 
resident of Hill.^dale. Michigan, where be en- 
gaged in farming. Both lie and his wife silent 
their last J.ays there, his death occurring Sep- 
teml)er 11. 1895. when he was al»ut eighty- 
one years of age. for the date of his birth was 
October 29, 18 14. His wife was forty-six 
years of age at the time of her death, which 
occurred in 1872. They had been married 
March 8. 1847. After losing his first wife 
Mr. Post was again married on the 7th of July. 
1875. when Eliza Clay, of Hillsdale. Michi- 
gan, became his wife. By his first marriage 
Stilman Post had eight children, those yet liv- 
ing being Samuel M.: Stilman .\ ; Sarah, the 
wife of Agnus Beers, of Hillsdale: and Lucy, 
the wife of Eugene Hewitt, also of Hillsdale, 
Michigan. 



i6o 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



Dr. Post, after spending five years of his 
early childhood in the Empire state, accom- 
panied his parents on their removal to Hills- 
dale. Michigan, when he was about six years 
of age and there he acquired his early educa- 
tion in the public schools, afterward continu- 
ing his studies in Hillsdale College. Subse- 
quently he engaged in teaching for five terms 
in the district schools near Hillsdale and in 
1866 he entered upon the study of medicine 
under the direction of Dr. Robert E. Evart, of 
Hillsdale, supplementing his preliminar\' read- 
ing by a course in the University of Michigan, 
from which he was graduated with the class of 
1871. He began practice in Eureka, Clinton 
county, where he remained for twenty-five years 
or until the spring of 1896, whai he came to 
St. Johns and has since maintained his office 
in this city with a constantly growing patron- 
age. He W'as for four years a member of the 
pension board and was health officer of Green- 
bush township for sixteen years during his 
residence there. He makes a specialty of the 
treatment of rheumatism and has effected some 
remarkable cures in recent years even when 
the inflammatory stage has been reached. He 
has been a close and earnest student of his pro- 
fession, its progress and advancement, and has 
kept in ti)uch with the onward march of the 
medical fraternity, continually promoting his 
efficiency through study and investigation. 

At the early age of fourteen years Dr. Post 
developed a strong desire to become a taxi- 
dermist and during the past years has collected 
and preserved some rare specimens which are 
splendid examples of his handiwork and ef- 
ficiency in that art. He is a democrat in his 
political faith but without aspiration for office. 
Fraternally he is connected with the Independ- 
ent Order of Odd b^ellows. the Knights of the 
Maccabees and the Loyal Americans. 

Dr. Post was married at Hillsdale. May 6, 
1873. to Miss A. May Marsh, who died in 
October of the same year, and on the 3d of 
January, 1875, he married Sarah E. Barring- 
ton, of Eureka, Clinton county, a daughter of 
Addison Hulse. The children of this marriage 
are Sarah, the wife of Austin Crowner, of St. 



Johns; and Samuel A., who is engaged in the 
shoe business in this city. Mr. and Mrs. 
Crowner have two children, Leona and Samuel, 
while Pauline and Athelia are the children of 
Samuel A. Post. Domestic in his tastes, the 
interest of Dr. Post has centered in his family, 
while his zeal in his profession, supplemented 
by a conscientious regard for the obligations 
and responsibilities devolving uixin him, have 
ni.ule him a capable physician and one whose 
success has come as the legitimate effect of his 
skill and thorough understanding of the prin- 
ciples of medicine. 



CHARLES T. ANDRUS. 

Charles T. .\ndrus, a pioneer settler of Clin- 
ton county and an honored veteran of the Civil 
war, was born in Cazenovia, Madison county, 
New York, July 16. 1837. His parents were 
John H. and Delocia (Webber) Andrus, the 
former a nati\e of Connecticut and the latter 
of Pennsylvania. They came to Michigan in 
the year 1839, locating on section 7, Watertown 
t(nvnship. Clinton county, in the midst of an 
almost unbroken wilderness. There were no 
roads, the land was unclaimed and the forests 
uncut. The father tO(ik an active and helpful 
part in local affairs up to the time of his death, 
which occurred in i860, when he was in the 
sixty-sixth year of his age. His wife had 
passed away two years before. They were the 
parents of eight children: John W'.. now living 
in Kent county. Michigan; Cornelia, the wife 
of George Saunders, of the same county; 
Georgia, the wife of Austin Cowan, of Kent 
county ; Caroline, the wife of John Bissell, of 
Grand Ledge. Michigan: Gerard, of Water- 
town township; Dennis, who tlied in i860; and 
Frances, who became the wife of John Hughes 
and died in Kent county in 1867. 

Charles T. Andrus, the oldest member of 
the family, received but limited educational 
privileges but mastered the elementary branches 
of learning in a log schoolhouse and through 
exi:)erience, reading and observation in later 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



i6i 



years has greatly broadened his knowledge. He 
remained upon the old home farm until the 
death of his parents when his brother John took 
charge of the home place, and Charles started 
out in life on his own account. On the 4th 
of August, 1 86 1, he responded to his country's 
call for aid, enlisting in Company A, Twenty- 
third Michigan Infantr>' under Captain Spauld- 
ing. He was mustered in at East Saginaw, 
Michigan, September 12, 1862, and was honor- 
ably discharged July 20, 1865. He entered the 
army with tlie rank of corporal and was pro- 
moted to sergeant in 1863. He participated in 
various important engagements, twenty-seven 
in all. including the battle of Franklin, Ten- 
nessee, the siege of Knoxville, the battle of 
Resaca, the Atlanta campaign and the Morgan 
raid. He was under General Sherman from 

1863, marching with him as far as Rome, 
Georgia, in October, 1864, and then rejoined 
his command at Goldsboro, (ieorgia, on the 21st 
of March. 1865. On the 30th of November, 

1864, he was engaged in the battle with Hood's 
forces at Franklin. Tennessee, where the rebels 
charged thirteen times and afterward fell back 
to Na.shville on the ist of December, remain- 
ing there until the 15th and i6th of the same 
month, when tliey again attacked Hood, driving 
him back to Franklin over the same ground 
where the battle had previously occurred. They 
paroled twenty-seven hundred prisoners and the 
opposition lost more generals in that engage- 
ment than in any other battle of the Civil war. 
Mr. Andrus with his regiment afterward fell 
back to Columbia and on the ist of Januar)', 

1865, marched from that place to Clifton on 
the Tennessee river. On the i6th of January 
the troops took boat there and went up the Ohio 
river to Cincinnati and afterward to Washing- 
ton by rail, remaining at Camp Stoneman until 
the 13th of February'. They then crossed the 
Potomac river to Alexandria and afterward 
took boat for Fort Fisher at the mouth of Cape 
Fear river. Subsequently they marched up 
the river to Wilmington, Delaware, and on the 
22d of February captured that city, remaining 
there until the 6th of March. The next move 
of the amiy was to Kingston and afterward to 



(joldsboro, forming the junction with Sher- 
man's army and proceeding then to the coast. 
Later Mr. Andrus was on picket duty and was 
at Raleigh, North Carolina, at the time of 
General Lee's surrender. The regiment re- 
mained at Raleigh for a time but afterward 
went to Greensboro and then on to Salsburj', 
North Carolina, continuing there until June 28, 
1865, when the members of the regiment were 
mustered out and returned to Michigan. 

After his return home ^Tr. .\ndnis engaged 
in farming and subsequently oi^crated a grist- 
mill at Dewilt fur two years. He was married 
in 1867 and then rented a farm in Eagle town- 
sliip. taking up his abode on the Derbyshire 
farm nf two hundred and twenty acres, which 
he cultixated for two years. He was afterward 
superintendent of the Deitz farm in Watertown 
township for a year and in 1876 purchased his 
]3resent place in Wacousta. He was identified 
with milling and farming interests for a num- 
ber of years but is now living retired, enjoying 
a well earned rest. 

Mr. Andrus was married in 1867 to Miss 
Alice Higbee. a daughter of Elisha and Eniline 
( W'right) Higliee. Their children are : .\lbert 
H., who is a salesman for Josiah Anstice, a 
hardware finn of Rochester, New York; An- 
nette, the wife of Lucius Streeter. of Syracuse, 
New York; and Frank C. who died in infancy. 
Mrs. Andrus belonged to one of the early 
pioneer families of Clinton county, her people 
having located on section 11. Eagle township, 
in 1837. She has two brothers, J. W. and 
George C. Higbee. the former living in Teko. 
Washington, and the latter in Marquette, 
Michigan. Her father died at Winchester, 
\'irginia, in December. 1864, while serving 
under General Sheridan in the Civil war. 

Mr. Andrus has served as constable for many 
years and now holds that office and was also 
deputy sheriff of Clinton county under Sheriffs 
Swiggart and Leland for eight years. In 
politics he is a stalwart republican and he be- 
longs to Joseph Mason post. No. 248, G. A. R., 
at Wacousta. He is the oldest citizen in his 
locality in point of continuous connection with 
the countv and has a remarkable inemorv for 



1 62 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



events wliicli furnied tlie early history of tliis 
part of the state. His genial manner, kindly 
disposition and genuine worth ha\e matle him 
a respected and valued citizen of Clinton county. 
and as a citizen and soldier he has made an 
excellent record. 



MAURICE BEDAINE. 

Maurice Bedaine. wJiu is interested in 
general agricultural pursuits on section 9, 
Watertown township, where he owns one hun- 
dred and twent}- acres of land, was born in 
Ohio, on the 8th of January, 1853. his parents 
being John and Mary (Carey) Bedaine, both of 
whom were natives of France. The paternal 
grandfather also bore the name of John Bedaine 
and came to America one year prior to tlie 
emigration of his son John. The latter took up 
his abode in Brown county, Ohio, prior to his 
marriage and in 1859 removed with his family 
to Lawrence county, I11in<iis, wiiere Iwth he and 
his wife passed away. 

Maurice Bedaine was reared to the occui:)a- 
tion of farming, no event of special importance 
occurring to vaiy the routine of farm life for 
him in his boyhood days. He acquired his edu- 
cation in tlie pulilic schools and tliroughout his 
entire life has carried on general agricultural 
pursuits. From a comparatively early age he 
depended entirely upon his own resources and 
whatever success he has attained is attribut- 
able entirely to his own later and enterpri.se. In 
1880 he was married to Miss Josephine Kenley, 
a daughter of James Kenley. of Clay county. 
Illinois, and they ha\e l^ecome the parents of 
six children: Mary J., James B., Henry S.. 
Carrie J., Frank and Veda D. 

In 1892 Mr. Bedaine removed from Qiam- 
paign county, Illinois, to Clinton county, Michi- 
gan, and settled on section 9, Watertown town- 
ship, where he purchased one hundred and 
twenty acres of land of Samuel Clark. In 1905 
he built a new barn forty by si.xty-four feet and 
forty -five feet from the ground to the peak. It 
is a model structure, being the l)est l)asement 



barn e\er built in Watertown township. There 
is a cement basement wall under the entire 
structure and the building is valued at fifteen 
hundred dollars. Since coming to this place 
.Mr. Bedaine has cleared away the brush and 
carried forward the work of improvement until 
he has brought the farm up to a high state of 
cultivation and now has one of the liest proper- 
ties of the township. 

A democrat in his political views, Mr. 
Bedaine has never sought or tiesired office, 
serving only in connection with the schools, 
filling the positions of trustee and director, act- 
ing in the latter capacity at the present time. 
He has also been i)ath master. I-'raternally he 
is connected with the Modern Woodmen of 
.Vmerica. In his business career he has worked 
hard and surmounted many obstacles and has 
.so directed his laljors that as the years have 
gone by he has won a good property that is 
the visible evidence of his life of thrift, perse- 
\erance and diligence. 



NEWTON L. WEBB. 

Newton L. Webb, one of the substantial 
farmers of Dewitt township, owns and operates 
seventy acres on section 9. constituting a well 
improved and valuable farm, conveniently lo- 
cated near the village of Dewitt. He has lived 
in this county since 1872. .\ native of Mas- 
sachusetts, his birth occurred in the town of 
Otis, Berkshire county, on the 25th of March, 
1840, his parents being Looniis and Arivalia 
(Dowd) W'ebb. The father was also a native 
of Massachusetts, born in 1803. and the grand- 
fadier. Jonah Webb, was a native of Con- 
necticut. The Webb family is of English line- 
age and the first representatives of the name 
in the new world took up their alxide in the old 
Bay state. Jonah Webb removed from Con- 
necticut to Massachusetts, establishing his home 
in Berkshire, where he lived to the remarkable 
age of more than one hundred years. La)mis 
Webli was Ixirn, reared and educated there and 
was three limes married, his first wife being 



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1 



.MR. A.XD iMRS. MAURICE BEDAINE. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



165 



Enieline Kimherley. by wlmni lie liad five chil- 
dren. He rem<">ve(l from Ma.'^.'^acluisetts to New 
York in 185 1. settling in Wayne county, where 
he resided nntil his deatli, which occurred in 
1866, when he was eighty-three years of age. 
Newton L. W'elil) is one of the family of two 
sons and three daughters, all of whom grew to 
mature years in New York and are yet living, 
namely: Newton L. ; Charles L.. who resides 
in Huron, New York; Emeline, tiie wife of 
Enos H. Reed, of Wolcott. New York; Mrs. 
Phoebe L. Swarthout. a widow, also residing in 
Eaings1)urg; and .\delia. the wife of Charles 
Chapin, a farmer of this county. 

In Wayne county. New York. Newton L. 
Webb spent his boyhood and youth, acquiring 
a good education in the common schools an<l an 
academy. He was married in that county on 
the 18th of March. 1863.10 Miss PhoebeHuyck. 
a native of New York, boni at W'olcott. Fol- 
lowing his marriage Mr. Webb engaged in the 
occupation of fanning in Wayne county for 
nine years and in 1872 he removed westward to 
Michigan, settling in Clinton county, where he 
purchased the farm upon which he now re- 
sides. He at once began its further develop- 
ment and cultivation and built to and remodeled 
the house and now has a comfortable residence. 
He akso built outbuildings, has fenced the place 
and has developed an excellent property, which 
in its splendid apjjearance indicates the careful 
supervision of a practical and progressive owner. 

Mr. and Mrs. Webb have one son, Henry 
M., who was reared and educated in Dewitt 
and remained at home until he attained his 
majority, when he went to Lansing, Michigan, 
where he was employed by a beet sugar com- 
pany for three years, being field superintendent 
of the beet raising. He also clerked in Lansing 
for two years and in 1904 he returned to the 
farm and is now associated with his father in 
its improvement. He wedded Mrs. Ida Averill. 
a widow. 

In his political views Newton L. Webb is 
a stanch democrat and cast his first presidential 
ballot for General George B. McClellan in i860. 
He has filled a number of official positions of 
honor and trust, serving as drain commissioner 



for one year, on the school Ijoanl for fourteen or 
fifteen years, and for two terms was a memljer 
of the county board of supervisors, representing 
Dewitt township, while for four years he was 
commissioner of highways. His son Henry 
ser\ed as one of the board of school inspectors 
and is afiiliated with the Ma.sonic fraternitv. 
lieing now marshal cif the blue lodge at Dewitt. 
Mr. Webb is a member ni the Grange. The 
family is a worthy and respected one of Dewitt 
township, enjoying the esteem of all and the 
friendship of many with whom they have come 
in contact. 



\\\\RRb:.\' 



CASTERLTNE. 



Warren B. Casterline. li\'ing on section 27, 
Esse.x town.ship. his ])ostoffice being St. Johns, 
is one of the thoroughly up-to-date farmers of 
his community, keejjing in touch with modern 
progress along agricultural lines so that his 
farm of one hundred and sixty acres is splen- 
didly developed. Since 1856 he has made his 
home in Clinton county and thus through a 
half century has been a witness of its changes 
and its transformation. Like many of the older 
citizens of this portion of the state he is a na- 
tive son of N^ew "^'ork, his birth having occurred 
in Ithaca. Tompkins county, on the 7th of No- 
vember, 1855. His father. Abraham L. Caster- 
line, was born in the same county, was there 
reared and learned the ma.son's trade. As a 
companion and helpmate for life's journey he 
chose Miss Charlotte J. Gray, who was bom in 
Ithaca, New York, where they were married. 
In 1856 he came with his family to Michigan, 
settling in Clinton county at Dewitt. There he 
worked at the mason's trade for some years. 
He lost his wife in Maple Rapids, and since her 
death he has made his home with his son, W^r- 
rcn B., being a hale and hearty man of seventy- 
five years. In the early days of the county's 
development he took an active part in local 
progress and impnnement and he has a wide 
and favorable acquaintance not only among the 
older settlers of his community but also among 
the later arrivals. 



i66 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



Warren B. Casterline was only a year old 
when lirought by his parents to Clinton county 
so that he was reared to manhood within its 
torders. His education was acquired in the 
schools of Dewitt and of I^nsing and under 
the direction of his father he learned the 
mason's trade and wurkecl with him for two 
or three years, .\fter his marriage, however, 
he aliandoned building operations and located 
on a farm beginning with eighty acres of land 
which was partially improved. He continued 
the work of clearing the place and fenced the 
farm, which he divided into fields of convenient 
size. He has cleared away the stumps and In- 
careful cultivation, the judicious use of fer- 
tilizers and the rotation of crops has made his 
land veiy productive. He has to-day three 
good l)arns and a granary, and a neat brick 
residence stands as a monument to his enter- 
prise and thrift. W^hen his labors had brought 
him' increased capital he extended the bound- 
aries of his place and now owns one hundred 
and sixty acres of land in his home farm, to- 
gether with forty acres in Greenbush township 
and eighty acres in Olive township. Mr. Cas- 
terline has been a successful agriculturist and 
.stock-raiser and is recognized as a man of good 
business ability and enterprise. Aside from his 
farming interests he owns stock in a creamery 
and al.so in a union telephone company. 

Mr. Casterline was married in Essex town- 
ship to Miss Elizabeth M. Webster, a daughter 
of Edwin Webster, who removed with his 
father and the family to Michigan, settling in 
Clinton county among its early settlers. Mr. 
and Mrs. Casterline have one daughter, C. lone, 
now the wife of Floyd Anderson, a resident 
farmer of Essex township. The parents and 
the daughter are all members of the Methodist 
Ei)iscopal church and Mr. Casterline is one of 
its officers. He had al.so taken an active and 
helpful interest in the Sunday-school and for 
some years was its superintendent. He belongs 
to the Masonic fraternity at Maple Rapids and 
in politics has been a lifelong republican, tak- 
ing an active interest in the local work of the 
party. He was elected and served as highway 
commissioner for two years, later was appointed 



supervisor to fill out an unexpired term and 
suljsequently was elected and re-elected to that 
office until his incumljency covered six con- 
seaitive years. During one year he was chair- 
man of the honorary county board of super- 
visors. While serving as supervisor he acted 
on various important committees and his efforts 
in behalf of the county have always been of a 
practical and beneficial nature. He has fre- 
fjuently been chosen as a delegate to numerous 
countv conventions and in all the offices to 
which he has been called he has proved cap- 
able and efficient. 

Mr. Casterline is justly numbered among the 
successful farmers and business men of Clinton 
count)'. He started out in life empty-handed 
but he early began to realize the value of in- 
dustry and perseverance as active factors in 
business life and through his persistency of pur- 
pose he has gradually worked his way upward. 
-V man of integrity and worth he is justly 
classed with the enterprising citizens of Clinton 
countv. 



JOHN A. BECK. 

John A. Beck, living on section to. Green- 
bush township, in one of the industrious, ener- 
getic and prosperous farmers of Clinton county 
and his well improved tract of land of one 
hundrefl acres yields to him a gratifying in- 
come. He dates his residence in the county and 
state from 1872. His birth occurred in Holmes 
county, Ohio, December 5, 1848. His father, 
Daniel Beck, was a native of Pennsylvania, as 
was the grandfather, Michael Beck, whose birth 
occurred in Westmoreland, that state. The 
Beck family is of German lineage and was es- 
tablished in the Keystone state at an early epoch 
in its development. Leonard Beck, the great- 
grandfather of our subject, was brought by his 
])arents to the new world when a child of two 
vears. At the age of fourteen years he joined 
the continental army and served as a drum- 
mer boy during the Revolutionary war. Michael 
Beck, leaving the ancestral home in Pennsyl- 
vania, removed to Ohio, becoming one of the 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



167 



early settlers of Holmes county, where he 
entered one hundred and sixty acres and later 
owned and operated a farm of three hundred 
and twenty acres. Daniel Beck succeeded to a 
part of the estate and continued to carry on 
agricultural pursuits there until his life's labors 
were ended in death when he was but thirty- 
five years of age. He also ran a grist mill. He 
was married in Holmes county. to Miss Sarah 
A. Fair, a native of Pennsylvania. Benjamin 
Beck, the youngest son of Michael Beck, suc- 
ceeded to his father's farm, which is still in 
possession of the family. He became quite 
wealthy antl died in 1905. 

John A. Beck, of this review, has been de- 
pendent upon his own resources from an early 
age. He received only common-school ad- 
vantages and when nineteen years of age he 
took charge of his grandfather's farm, operating 
the place for four years. As a companion and 
helpmate for life's journey he chose Miss Mar)' 
J. Altman, to whom he was married in Holmes 
county, Ohio, in January', 1872. She was born 
and reared in the Buckeye state and soon after 
her marriage accompanied her husband to 
Michigan, the family home being established 
in section 10. Greenlmsh township. Mr. Beck 
had visited this state the previous year and had 
bought a farm of seventy acres. The young 
couple took up their abode upon that property 
and Mr. Beck at once began to cultivate and 
improve the place, to which he has since added 
until he now owns one hundred and sixtv acres. 
He has one hundred and five acres on the home 
place and fifty-five acres in another tract. He 
has cleared the land of timber and stumps, has 
it divided into fields of convenient size by well 
kept fences and has added all modem equip- 
ments. A neat residence, good bam and gran- 
ary stand as monuments to his thrift and enter- 
prise. There is also a good orchard and the 
fami is altogether in keeping with ideas of 
modern agriculture. 

Mr. and Mrs. Beck have eight children. 
Gilbert .\. is married and is a substantial 
farmer of Greenbush township, where he owns 
a well improved tract of land. Martha E. is 
the wife of Edgar Burk, who is represented 
II 



elsewhere in this volume. Oliver E. occupies 
a business position in .St. Johns. Frank H. fol- 
lows farming in Greenbush township. George 
R. is a mechanic of Eureka, Michigan. Guy 
E., Vernie G. and Albert A. are all at home. 
They also lost one son, Lyman, at the age of 
five months. Mr. Beck belongs to the Masonic 
fraternity, his membership being in blue lodge 
at Eureka. His political allegiance is given to 
the democracy where national questions are 
involved but at local elections he votes in- 
dependently. His identification with the in- 
terests and people of Clinton county covers a 
third of a century, during which time he has 
made a creditable record as a wide-awake and 
progressive farmer and successful business 
man. 



J. DURFEE SICKELS. 

J. Durfee Sickels was born February 15, 
1820, in Palmyra, New York, the second in 
a family of eight children, six of whom have 
been more or less intimately as.sociated with the 
history of Clinton and Gratiot counties : Aaron, 
who represented the district at the legislature 
and was a prominent citizen of Elsie for many- 
years; William, who was register of deeds and 
judge of probate for Clinton county and closely 
allied with the histor}' of Gratiot county; 
Lucina, the wife of John Kneeland, of Elba; 
Anne, the only surviving one, wife of E. W. 
Cobb, a prominent citizen of Elsie: Emma, who 
taught school for about thirty years in the 
vicinity; and J. Durfee, the subject of this 
sketch. 

His paternal grandfather, Philip Vran Ziegel, 
was of Holland descent, the name being angli- 
cized to Sickels by Philip's son, John F., who 
moved with his family to Michigan in 1836. 
They sent their household goods by boat across 
Lake Erie, where they were all lost in a storm. 
The family came in a coach across Canada, the 
boys driving the stock. They settled on an 
improved farm near Northville, where the father 
died in 1839. The family soon moved to an- 
other farm near Howell, where J. Durfee re- 



i68 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



mained until 1847. when he came, a young man 
of twenty-seven years, in Duplain. When he 
had been here two years he married Sarah Jane 
Cobb, who had preceded liim into the wilder- 
ness with her parents two years liefore his ar- 
rival. She was a descendant of good old 
colonial and Mayflower stock, making her a fit 
pioneers wife in the new country in which they 
now established their home. 

From his mother, Hannah Durfee, Mr. 
Sickels imbibed the Quaker faith which domi- 
nated his life. His mother was a descendant 
of Thomas Durfee, who came from England to 
Portsmouth, Rhode Island, in 1660. His ma- 
ternal grandfather was a lieutenant of George 
ni but joined the patriots and served as minute 
man in Captain Simmon's company. Colonel 
Olney's regiment, muster roll of 1781. 

The first public office held by J. Durfee 
Sickels in Duplain was in 1851. when he was 
elected as supervisor, which office he held 
periodically until 1884 — thirteen years in all. 
During his administration the courthouse was 
built at St. Johns on its present site. He also 
held the office during; the greater part of the 
Civil war and it was his duty to look after the 
widows and orphans, giving them the govern- 
ment supplies, often all too meager for their 
needs. During the first few years of his work 
as supervisor Duplain included Elba and 
Hamilton and as there were no roads and many 
dense forests his work was an arduous one. 

In 1856 he assisted in platting- the village of 
Elsie and with his two brothers, William and 
Aaron, built and stocked the first store. He was 
one of the original trustees of the Methodist 
church and hold the office until his failing 
health compelled him to resign. He was the 
second postmaster in the village and held the 
office for twenty years. He served as justice 
of the peace for eight years and was elected 
for a third tenn but refused to .serve. He held 
the office of township treasurer in 1850 and 
was afterward township clerk. In 1868 he was 
nominated for the legislature but withdrew on 
account of ill health. What was perhaps the 
most laborious service given to the public and 
the one performed under the most difficult con- 



ditions was the work on the state road, which 
extends from the center of Ovid township 
twenty miles through the towns of Duplain, 
Elba and Hamilton. He was commissioned by 
the go\'ernor to superintend the surveying of 
this road, which was built for the purpose of 
reaching valuable timber lands beyond. The 
magnitude of this undertaking can scarcely be 
realized bv one who now drives over this broad 
thoroughfare, lined with prosperous farms and 
pleasant homes. The southern portion was in 
more or less good condition but the northern 
part had to be built through an almost impene- 
tralile s-\\amp and unbroken wilderness. 

On his return from a session of the lioard 
of supervisors, held in January, 1885, the last 
one he attended, he fell from a platform at 
Owosso junction and sustained injuries from 
which he never recovered and which doubtless 
hastened his death, which occurred in April, 
1898. His widow survived him seven years, 
closing an unusually useful life in February, 
1905. They left an unbroken family of seven 
children: J. Whitney Sickels, of Grand Ledge; 
.Vlvah L. Sickels and Mrs. L. G. Bates, of 
Elsie: j\Irs. .\rthur Hall, Mrs. D. E. Andrews, 
Mrs. Jennie S. Parker and Mrs. W. G. Rankin, 
of Detroit. 



ISAAC HEWITT. 



Isaac Hewitt, well known as a representative 
of the financial interests of Clinton county, hav- 
ing for some years been engaged in the bank- 
ing business at Maple Rapids, was born in 
Dewitt, this county on the 20th of January, 
1839. His father, William .\. Hewitt, was 
a native of Steuben county. New York, born 
in 181 2, and was there reared to manhood, 
after which he wedded Miss Hannah C. Hyatt, 
also a native of the Empire state. In 1833 or 
1834 he removed westward to Oakland county, 
Michigan, and in 1835 came to Qinton county, 
his being one of the first families of this county. 
He located in Dewitt, where he engaged in 
merchandising. He was a lawyer by profes- 
sion and practiced to some extent after coming 




ISAAC llliWlTT. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



171 



to the west. He also served as justice of the 
peace for a number of years, being the first to 
hold that office in the county, and was promi- 
nent and influential in community affairs. In 
1852 he removed to Maple Rapids, where he 
cleared some land and Iniilt the first saw and 
grist mill on Maple river. He also estaljlished 
a store and thus was actively and closely con- 
nected with business interests of importance and 
in the upbuilding and development of the 
county. He successfully managed financial in- 
terests and in all that he did won a gratifying 
measure of prosperity. His lalwrs, too, were 
of benefit to his community and his death there- 
fore was regarded as a loss throughout Clinton 
county. He died in Maple Rapids, February 
12. 1863, while his wife, long surviving him, 
passed away in 1898. 

Isaac Hewitt is one of a family of four sons 
and one daughter, all of whom reached adult 
age and became heads of families. Joseph W. 
Hewitt was a prominent merchant of Maple 
Rapids and died here February 9, 1896. Z. 
N. Hewitt, who al.so engaged in business in 
Maple Rapids, passed away June 10, 1883. The 
sister, Fannie, became the wife of M. B. Brown, 
who engaged in merchandising in Maple Rapids 
and subsequently in St. Johns. 

Isaac Hewitt, the youngest meml)er of the 
family, was reared and educated in Clinton 
county, mastering the elementary branches 
of learning in the common schools. He re- 
ceived a thorough, practical business training 
in his father's store and as his assistant in other 
business ventures remained with him until he 
attained his majority. About that time Mr. 
Hewitt was married in Maple Rapids, on the 
3d of ."Xpril, T859, to Miss Helen C. I^nsing, 
a daughter of Harry H. Lansing, who was born 
in New York and was married there to Miss 
Lydia A. Walkinshaw. who died in the Empire 
state when Mrs. Hewitt was a maiden of eleven 
summers. Mr. Lansing afterward removed to 
Michigan in 1853, locating at Maple Rapids, 
Clinton county, where he engaged in agricul- 
tural pursuits. 

For a year after bis marriage Isaac Hewitt 
remained with his father and assisted him in 



the conduct of his various business enterprises. 
He then rented the mill and was engaged in its 
operation for al)out nine months. He next con- 
ducted a grocery store and general mercantile 
enterprise. He likewise built a sawmill and 
was engaged in the manufacture and sale of 
lumber for a numlier of years. He has for a 
long period given his attention to the purchase 
and sale of real estate and now owns three 
well improved farms which return to him a 
gratifying income. In 1889 he entered into 
patrnership with F. D. Groom and purchased 
the Maple Rapids Bank, of which Mr. Groom 
is the cashier. Mr. Hewitt has since been as- 
sociated with the institution which is regarded 
as one of the safe, reliable financial concerns of 
the county. He has stimulated the interests of 
tile county by loaning money and has aided 
very materially in the upbuilding and develop- 
ment of Maple Rapids, being closely identified 
with the people and their business interests for 
nearly a half century. Wiiatever tends to 
l)enctit tlie locality receives his endorsement and 
many times his active co-operation and his ef- 
forts ha\e l)een a helpful factor in public life 
here. 

Mr. Hewitt has also served on the village 
board both as trustee and president and at his 
father's death he was appointed to succeed him 
as justice of the peace and filled that position 
wiiile settling his father's estate, but has never 
sought or desired official preferment. On the 
contrary' he has preferred to give his time and 
energies to his extensive business interests 
which have l)een crowned with a gratifying 
measure of prosijerity. He and his wife are 
members of the Christian church, with which 
Mr. llew-itt has been connected since 1875. He 
has served as one of its deacons and as a mem- 
ber of the financial Ixiard and has also been 
treasurer and trustee. He contributes gener- 
ously to the support of the church and in all 
its work takes an active and helpful part. He 
has lieen treasurer of the Michigan Christian 
state conference since 1881, and also one of 
its trustees. I'raternally he is connected with 
the Ma.sons, belonging to the blue lodge at 
-Maple Rapids. He was a charter member of 



172 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



that lodge, organized in 1863, and its first 
junior warden. He served through all of its 
chairs, was master for eight or ten years and 
is now a past master. He likewise belongs to 
St. Johns chapter, R. A. M., the council and 
the commanden-, and is also a member of the 
Mystic Shrine at Grand Rapids. 

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Hewitt have been bom 
two children: Carrie H., now the wife of Fred 
Travis, of St. Johns; and Ray M., who is now 
holding an important position in the office of 
the auditor general of Michigan, at Lansing. 
Mr. and Mrs. Travis have two children, Mar- 
garet and Frederick, while Ray M. is married 
and has a son, Harold. Mr. Travis is a mem- 
ber of the Masonic fraternity and has attained 
the Knight Templar degree and is also a mem- 
ber of the Mystic Shrine at Grand Rapids. 

Mr. Hewitt has a ver\- wide acquaintance in 
Clinton county, where his entire life has been 
passed. For two-thirds of a century he has 
witnessed the changes which have occurred here 
and his laluirs have been attended with ex- 
cellent results as the years have gone by. He 
belongs to that class of representative .Amer- 
ican citizens who, while promoting individual 
success also advance the general welfare, and 
much of the progress and prosperity of Maple 
Rapids is directly attributable to his efforts. 



TOR W. SEXTON. 



Farming and stock-raising interests consti- 
tute an important source of income and wealth 
to the citizens of Clinton county and to agri- 
cultural pursuits Job W. Sexton devotes his at- 
tention, making his home on section 29, Victor 
township, where he has one hundred and fifty 
acres of land, the productiveness of which has 
lieen proven in the excellent crops which he has 
annually harvested there. He is one of Mich- 
igan's old settlers, his residence in the state dat- 
ing from 1846, while since 1863 he has made 
his home in Clinton county. His birth occurred 
in Clark county, Ohio, July 24. 1841. His fa- 
ther, Zephaniah Sexton, was a native of Ver- 



mont, further mention of whom is made on 
another page of this work. The son was a 
lad of only five years when brought by his par- 
ents to Michigan, the days of his boyhood and 
youth being passed in Oakland county upon 
the father's farm, so that he early became 
familiar with all the duties and labors that fall 
to the lot of the agriculturist. He had fair 
common-school advantages and was trained to 
a life of industr)' and integrity. About 1863 
he remo\-ed to Clinton county and bought and 
located on a farm where he yet resides, becom- 
ing owner of eighty acres on which no improve- 
ments had been made save the erection of a 
log house. He at once began to clear away 
the timlier. break the land and place it under 
cultivation and as he prospered in this task he 
extended the boundaries of his farm by addi- 
tional purchases until he now has one hundred 
and fifty-four acres, constituting a valuable 
]5r()i)erty. His home is a substantial one and 
there is also a good barn and other outbuild- 
ings which he kee])s in repair. He has like- 
wise set out an orchard and indeed has made 
the farm a good and productive property, neat 
and attracti\e in appearance. 

In January. 1866. in Victor township, was 
celebrated the marriage of Mr. Sexton and Miss 
Catherine .Arthur, who was Ixirn and reared in 
Oakland county. There were four children of 
this marriage: Calvin E., a resident farmer of 
Victor township, who is married and has one 
child, Gracie E. : Samuel F., who is married 
and resides in Byron, Michigan, and has one 
son, Hubert A. : Jay W'.. who is residing at 
Fenton, Michigan; and Zeph, of Lansing. He 
is married and has a daughter, Margery E. 

Politically Mr. Sexton is a republican where 
national issues are involved but at local elec- 
tions where only the welfare of the community 
is to be considered he votes independently. He 
was elected and sensed as coiniuissioner of high- 
ways and as township treasurer for one or more 
terms and as a member of the school Ixsard has 
done effective sen-ice in l^ehalf of education. 
Mr. Sexton is a member of the Masonic fra- 
ternity, affiliated with the blue lodge at Laings- 
burg. He has been a Master Mason for over 





MR. AND MRS. JOB W. SEXTON. 



I'AST AND TRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



175 



thirty-five years and is likewise a member of 
the Grange, lie is well known in Victor town- 
ship and in Clinton county, and his many ex- 
cellent traits of manhood have made him a repre- 
sentative citizen of the community. 



lOli.X C. DOOLING. 



John C. Dooling. a member of the tirm of 
Dooling & Kelley, practicing at the St. Johns 
bar, was Ijorn in this city, November 19, 1868. 
his ])arents being Jeremiah and Mary ( Dunn) 
Dooling, the former a native of Ireland. The 
paternal grandfather. .Andrew Dooling. was 
born on the Emerakl Isle and came to America 
about seventy-five \ears ago. Making his way 
to Michigan, he settled in Oakland county, tak- 
ing up his abode uixin a farm where he spent 
his remaining days, his remains being interred 
in Mount Eliot cemetery at Detroit when he 
was seventy-eight years of age. His .son, Jere- 
miah Dooling. was married at Pontiac, Michi- 
gan, to Miss Mary Dunn, who was Ixirn in 
the Empire state and was a daughter of John 
Dinin, who emigrated from Ireland and became 
a resident of Shiawassee county. Michigan. 
where he followed fanning for many years. 
Both he and his wife. h<n\ever. have long since 
passed away. Jeremiah Dooling came from 
Pontiac, Michigan, to St. Johns on the first 
train that entered this city in 1857. He worked 
for the D. (i. H. & M. Railroad and had a con- 
tract for carrying the L'nited States mail to the 
postoffice, perfoniiing that government service 
from 1865 until 190 1. He also held the posi- 
tion of night watchman and deputy sheriff for 
thirty-four years. The first Cadiolic services 
of this city were held iii his home and he was 
a very devout worshiper of that faith and one 
of the organizers of St. Johns Catholic church. 
He died in 1903. at the age of seventy-four 
years, having s|)ent ail but two years of his life 
in Michigan. Mis widow still survives him. 

John C. Dooling continued his education in 
the high school of St. Johns and then prep.ired 
for his chosen profession as a student in the law 



department of the University of Michigan, 
from which he was graduated with the class 
of 1889. He did not at once enter upon the 
active practice of the profession, liut became 
a clerk in the law department of the R. (j. Dun 
Mercantile Agency at Grand Rapids. On leav- 
ing that service he spent a year aufl a half in 
the practice of law at I'elding. Michigan, after 
which he came to St. Johns and entered into 
partnership with E. H. Lyon under the firm 
style of Lyon & Dooling, a connection that was 
maintained for five years, when he lieaime a 
junior partner in the finn of Spaulding. Norton 
& Dooling. This relation was also continued 
for five years or until July, 1902. when the 
l)re.sent law firm of Dooling & Kelley was es- 
talilished with Dean W. Kelley as the junior 
partner. 

Mr. Dooling is recognized as a prominent at- 
torney of Clinton county, standing well in his 
profession for which he w^as ably qualified by 
a thorough course in law. while in the prepar- 
ation of his cases he is now careful and pains- 
taking, his arguments being characterized by a 
clear .ind cogent reasoning. His political al- 
legiance is given to the democracy. 



JOSEPH E. CRAVEN. 

On the list of Elsie's representative business 
men apjx^ars the name of J<iseph E. Craven. 
who has been actively associated with business 
enter])ri.ses of the town for sixteen years, mak- 
ing a creditaljle record that is indicated by his 
success and the honorable name which he bears 
in trade circles. He was bom in Lenawee 
countv. Michigan. Xo\eml)er 16, 1857, and 
comes of English lineage. His paternal great- 
great-grandfather, Thomas Craven, was a na- 
tive of England and. crossing the .\tlantic, 
establi.shed his home in New Jersey at an early 
day. His grandson, Jose])h Craven, was born 
in that state and on removing to New York 
took u]) his alx)de in Seneca county, where the 
birth of John T. Craven, the father of our sulv 
ject. occurred. He was reared and educated in 



1/6 



PAST AND PRESENT 



that county and was married there to Miss 
Louisa Quigly, a native of New York. In order 
to provide for his family he followed agri- 
cultural pursuits in Seneca county until his 
removal to Michigan, at which time he es- 
tahlished his home in Lenawee count}'. One 
year later he took up his ahode in Clinton 
county, but afterward returned to the Empire 
state, where his last years were passed. His 
wife sur\-i\-ed him for a few weeks and de- 
parted this life in the county of her nativity. 

Joseph E. Craven is one of a family of nine 
children who reached mature years. He was 
reared on a fami in Seneca county. New York, 
to the age of eighteen years and was well 
equipped for life's practical and responsible 
duties by a good education. He learned the 
printer's trade, spending atout a year in a 
printing office, after which he engaged in clerk- 
ing in the general store of L. G. Bates at 
Elsie, entering his employ in 1877. For ten 
years he acted in that capacity, receiving a thor- 
ough practical business training. In 1888 he 
was appointed postmaster of Elsie by President 
Harri.son and served for four years. In the 
same room as the postoffice he put in a stock of 
goods, having a nice line of notions, in which 
he built up a gratifying trade. On the ex])i- 
ralinn of his term as jxjstmaster he entered into 
partnershij) with Mr. Edd\' and they opened a 
line of general merchandise in a frame building, 
which was replacetl by a neat brick block in 
February. 1904. The}- now have one of the 
best and most complete stocks of goods in Elsie 
and their trade has reached gratifying and 
profitable proportions. They are numbered 
among the most progressive merchants of the 
place. carr}'ing a line of goods that is thor- 
oughly up to date, while their store would l)e 
a credit to a city of much larger size. Their 
business methods arc such as will bear the 
closest investigation and scrutiny, for they have 
placed their dependence upon such old and time 
tried maxims as "Honesty is the liest ixjlicy" 
and "There is no excellence without labor." 

Mr. Craven was united in marriage in Elsie 
in 1879 to Miss Alice W. Eddy, a daughter of 
Reuben Eddy, then living in Elsie but for- 



OF CLINTON COUNTY. 

merly of Oskaloosa. Iowa, in which cit}' Mrs. 
Craxen was torn. Her girlhood days, however, 
were largely passed in Elsie and she is in- 
debted to the public-school system for the edu- 
cational privileges she enjoyed. There is one 
son of this marriage. L. D. T. Craven, a young 
man who is well educated and is now acting as 
a clerk in the store with his father and uncle. 

Politically Mr. Craven endorses republican 
principles and keeps well informed on the 
questions and issues of the day, but is without 
political aspiration, preferring to give his at- 
tention to his business interests. He belongs to 
the Masonic fraternit}-. He and his wife are 
identified with the Eastern Star and he is also 
connected with the Knights of the Maccabees. 
He stands to-day as one of the most successful 
merchants and progressive Imsines men of the 
town and likewise is a pulilic-spirited citizen, 
who is found as -the champion of each move- 
ment or measure that is calculated to promote 
the general welfare. 



FRED B. CARPENTER. 

I'red B. Carpenter, whose home is on section 
7, Ovid township, where he is successfully en- 
gaged in farming, is a representative of Xew 
England ancestiy. the Carpenters having re- 
sided in Rhode Island at an early day. His 
father, Clark Carpenter, however, was a na- 
ti\e of Cayuga county, Xew York, and spent 
his early life in the Empire state, where he was 
engaged in teaching and farming. He wedded 
Miss Marv Bowles, a native of Maryland and 
a re])resentative of one of the old families of 
that state. Throughout the greater |)art of his 
life Clark Carpenter continued to carry on agri- 
cultural pursuits and he held a number of oftices 
of trust, the duties of which he discharged with 
promptness and fidelity. He died in 1895. at 
the age of seventy-six years, while his wife 
pas.sed away in 1897, at the age of si.xty-seven 
years. In their family were fixe children, all 
of whom are living: Almaron, who is an 
engineer on the Delaware, Lackawanna & 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



177 



Western Railroad, residing- at Buffalo. New 
York; Ered B. : Alary, the wife of William 
Snyder, of SpringAvaler. New York; Bynm, 
a contractor of Chicago; and Erances, the wife 
of Spencer Becker, of Ontario countv. New 
York. 

Ered B. Carpenter was licirn in Livingston 
county, New "N'ork. May 21, 1854. He ob- 
tained his early education in the district schools 
and afterward attended the graded schools of 
Springwater, New York, sui)sequent to which 
time he learned the carpenter's trade, eventuallx- 
becoming a contractor. He worked for ten 
3'ears in that line in the east and then came to 
Michigan in 1887. k)cating in Owosso. where 
he was engaged in the manufacture of caskets 
for two years. He afterward went to Belding. 
Michigan, where he had charge of a casket 
factory for seven years, when he became ill 
with rheumatism. lie visited several health 
resorts and finally recuperated, subsequent to 
which time he took charge of a casket factory 
in New ^'ork city, where he remained for two 
years. He then returned to Michigan, locating 
on an eighty-acre farm whicii he purchased on 
section 7, Ovid to\\nshii), Clinton countv, 
erecting here a new residence and later a good 
bam, both of which indicate in large measure 
the handiwork and skill of Mr. Carpenter. He 
has an excellent farm, the land being richly 
cultivated, while eveiything about the place is 
indicative of the careful suixjrvision and earnest 
efforts of a progressive owner. 

On the 6th of April. 1887, Mr. Carpenter 
was married to Miss Sarah Thompson, a daugh- 
ter of William Thomi)Son, of Ontario county, 
New York. They have two sons : William, 
who is serving with the United States Army in 
the Philippines; and Byron, who is a farmer of 
Ontario county. New York. 

In his political afhliations Mr. Carpenter has 
been a stalwart republican since the Cleveland 
administration but cast his first presidential 
ballot for Samuel J. Tilden. In igoi he was 
elected suj^ervisor of Ovid township and has 
twice been re-elected so that he is .still the in- 
cumlient in the office. I-"nitemally he is con- 
nected with the Knights of IVthias at Belding 



and he is a man of ]i1)cral views, j)rogressive 
spirit and fine social qualifications who has 
.gained and retained the friendship and regard 
of many with whom he has been associated 
since he came to the middle west. 



THEODORE BENGEL. 

Theodore Bengel, whose attention is devoted 
111 farming along modern progressive lines of 
agriculture, makes his home on section 3, West- 
l)halia township. He was bom in this township 
and is a .son of Thomas and Maty ( .\ckerman) 
Bengel. t)Oth of whom were natives of Ger- 
many, whence they came to the United States 
in 1848 after their marriage, whicli had been 
celebrated in the fatherland. Having spent four 
years in Mint. Michigan, they came to Clinton 
county in 1852, locating on .section 3, West- 
])halia town.ship. Mr. Bengel, who was a miller 
by trade, was employed for eighteen years in 
R. B. Smith's mill at Portland, but the family 
remained upon the farm on section 3. where he 
owned forty acres of land. .\t the time he 
made the purchase this was one of the best im- 
pro\efl farms in the township. He afterward 
built thereon a new residence and good barn 
and as his financial resources made possible the 
further jnirchase of land he added to his 
]iroperty until at the time of his death he owned 
one hundred and eighty acres. He always kept 
the farm up to a high standard of improvement 
and development and although he devoted his 
attention to the milling business during his 
active business career his last years were spent 
upon the homestead property, where he died 
in 1896, when about eighty years of age, his 
birth having occurred in 1816. His wife died 
in 1888. when sixty-eight years of age. In their 
family were nine children, of whom the follow- 
ing are living: Katie, now the wife of Joseph 
Hengesbach, of Westphalia township; Charles, 
of Beal City, Michigan; Carrie, the wife of 
Jacob Martin, of Dallas township; and The<v 
dore of this review ; those deceased are 
Robert. Thomas and three who died in infancy. 



178 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



Theodore Bengel ac(|uire(l his education in 
the parochial and cumnion (Hstrict schools. 
He ha.s resided upon tlie old home farm con- 
tinuously since 1896. when he purchased the 
property and is regarded as one of the enter- 
prising and prosperous agriculturists of the 
community. In all of his work he is practical 
as well as progressive and his fields give every 
indication of careful supervisioii and yield to 
him a golden trihute in return for the care and 
labor which he annually bestows upon them. 

In 1889 was celebrated the marriage of 
Theodore Bengel and Miss Mar\' Buechel. a 
daughter of Bernard Buechel. of Westphalia. 
She died in 1891, when only twenty years of 
age. leaving a son. Bernard. In 1898 Mr. Ben- 
gel was again married, his second union being 
with Miss Maggie Rademacher. a daughter of 
John Rademacher and they have four children, 
Carrie, Anna. There.sa and Joseph. 

In politics Mr. Bengel is a democrat and has 
served as pathmaster and school director. He 
has also been .supervisor for si.x terms, from 
1898 until 1903 inclusive, and during the last 
term was chairman of the board. He does 
everything in his power to forward the best 
interests of the county and is a co-operant factor 
in many plans for the general good. He be- 
longs to St. Mary's German Catholic churcli. 
to the Catholic Men's Benevolent Association 
and to the Arljeiter Verein. He is a progressive 
citizen, successful in the conduct of his in- 
dividual affairs and regarded as one of the 
leading and representative men of his com- 
munity. 



MARK PENNELL. 



Mark Pennell, living on section 5, Dewitt 
township, is a prominent farmer and a man of 
good business and executive ability, well known 
in Clinton county because of his accomplish- 
ment in agricultural lines and by reason of his 
activity in affairs relating to public progress and 
improvement. He is now .ser\ ing his sixth term 
as supervisor and his continuation in oflice is an 
indication of the confidence and trust reposetl 



in him by his fellow townsmen. He has lived 
in the county since 1869 and is one of the 
worthy citizens that the Empire state has fur- 
nished to Michigan, for his birth occurred in 
Orleans county. New York, on Christmas day 
of 1854. His father was Orrin G. Pennell, 
w ho was born in Chenango county. New York, 
and was married there to Miss Lorana Davis, 
likewise a native of that state. In 1861 they 
removed to Alichigan, settling in Washtenaw 
county, where they remained for eight years, 
and then came to Clinton county, locating in 
Dewitt township, where Mark Pennell now re- 
sides. The father spent his last years here, 
passing away in 1899, having for sometime sur- 
vived his wife. They had three sons: Galusha, 
who is living in St. Johns and is represented 
elsewhere in this work; Edwin, of Ionia, 
Michigan; and Mark, of this review. The 
father and all of the sons have served as super- 
vi.sor of Dewitt township, and the family have 
ever stood for good citizenship and progress. 

Mark Pennell was a youth of se\'en years 
when the family left New York anrl came to 
Michigan, and was fifteen when they came to 
Clinton count)-, since which time he has lived 
in Dewitt township. His early education was 
acquired in the schools of his native state and 
he afterward continued his studies in the village 
of Dewitt and in the Agricultural College at 
Lansing. Michigan. He assisted his father in 
the operation of the homestead place until the 
latter's death, when he took charge of the 
propert}', which he has since managed. He and 
his brother purchased the interest of the other 
heirs and Mark Pennell now owns one-half of 
the old place, constituting one hundred and 
sixty acres. He has further improved the 
proijerty and has continuously conducted his 
fanning interests with excellent results, having 
now a good property from which he annually 
harvests fine crops. 

In i8<So Mr. Pennell was married in Dewitt 
to Miss I'd la Goodman, who was torn in New 
York but was reared in this county. In politics 
he is a stanch democrat and was elected super- 
visor of the township, in which ofiice he has 
been continued bv re-election until he is now 




.MAKK PENNELL. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



i8i 



serving for the sixth temi. He has also heen 
justice of tlie peace and tilled other local posi- 
tions and has likewise heen a delegate to the 
state and county conventions of his party, where 
his opinions carry weight because of his known 
loyalty to progressive measures. He is 
identified with the Masonic fraternity, belong- 
ing to the blue lodge at Dewitt and in his life 
exemplifies the beneficent spirit of the craft. 1 lis 
worth is widely acknowledged and while there 
have been no exciting chapters in his life record 
it shows the value and force of upright char- 
acter and of loyal citizenship in winning the 
esteem and confidence of one's fellowmen. 



WILLIAM FIZZELL. 

William Fizzell. living on section 17, Du- 
plain township, owns and operates a farm of 
eiglity acres of land, constituting a well im- 
proved and valuable place. He is one of 
Canaila's native sons, his birth ha\ing occurred 
in Cunningham county. Ontario, April 18. 
1856. His father. William Fizzell. was a na- 
tive of Ireland, born in 1824. and there he was 
reared and married, the lady of his choice being 
Miss Mary Alton. Sub.sequently he crossed 
the Atlantic to the new world, taking up his 
abode in Ontario. Canada, in 1850. He lo- 
cated on a fann there, where he made his home 
until 1866. when he removed to Wayne county, 
Michigan, and again devoted his energies to 
agricultural pursuits. In 1871 he came to Clin- 
ton county, settling on twenty acres in Ovid 
township, where he followed farming for thirty- 
three years. He now resides with his .son John, 
and is a hale and hearty old man of eighty-two 
years. He has lost his wife, however, her death 
occurring on the 2d of June, 1884. In their 
family were three sons and three daughters, all 
of whom are living and iia\e l^ecome heads of 
families. 

William Fizzell of this review was reared to 
manhood in Ovid township and acquired a com- 
mon-school education. In his youth he assisted 
in the labors of the farm, remaining with his 



father until he reached mature years. He was 
empk)yed in his ynuth on dif¥erent farms of the 
neighborhiKxl and when twenty-two years of 
age he l»ught forty acres of land, whereon he 
now resides. This constituted the nucleus of 
his present property. .After his marriage he 
began the cultivation and development of the 
farm and in the course of years he extended its 
boundaries by an additional purchase of forty 
acres so that he now has a good tract of land 
of eighty acres. When he located on this place 
it was in the mitlsl of the forest and was 
co\ered with a dense growth of trees, but soon 
the sound of the woodman's ax awakened the 
echoes and one by one the trees fell before his 
sturdy strokes until the land was cleared and 
prepared for the plow . He has fenced the place, 
erected modern buildings and has carried for- 
ward the work of improvement along most pro- 
gressi\e lines. The farm is all now clear of 
stumps and the rich soil yields abundant 
harvests, so that the place is to-day a valuable 
fanning property. 

Mr. Fizzell was married in Ovid township, 
on die 22<\ of March. 1882, to Miss Emma S. 
.\very. a native of Greenbush township, Clinton 
county, and a daughter of Tyler C. Avery, 
one of the early settlers who came from New 
York to Michigan. Mrs. Fizzell was reared 
and educated in Oxid township and was to her 
husl)anil a faithful companion and helpmate on 
the journey of life but on the 6tli of .April, 
1898, she was called to her final rest. There 
were three children b\- that marriage, Alton J., 
Herbert .\. and Carrie L. In November, 1901, 
Mr. l*"izzell was again marrieti. his second union 
occurring in Duplain township, when Miss 
.\nna .\. Hess Ix'came his wife. She. too. was 
a native of the lunpire state and was brought 
to Michigan when a maiden of eight summers, 
her father being .S(|uire Peter Hess, of Duplain 
township. Her education was obtained in the 
iniblic schools and she was reared here in her 
parents' home, being trained to all of the 
duties of tile household, so that she was well 
qualified to take care of a home of her own 
at the time of her marriage. She is a lady of 
culture and refinement and prior to her mar- 



1 82 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



riage engaged in teaching, having acquired a 
good education in tlie high school of St. Johns. 
For thirteen years slie devoted her time and 
energies to the work of pubHc instruction and 
was widelv recognized as a capalile teacher. 

Pohtically Mr. Fizzell is a stanch repubhcan. 
He was elected and is now serving for the sec- 
ond year in the office of township treasurer and 
collector. He and his wife are memljers of the 
Duplain Methodist Episcopal church, in the 
work of which they take an active and helpful 
interest, Mr. Fizzell now serving as one of its 
stewards. He and his wife have also been help- 
ful workers in the Sunday-school for a num- 
ber of years, lx)th serving as teachers and Mr. 
Fizzell is a member of the choir and acted as 
chorister for several years. He affiliates with 
the local Grange and is especially interested in 
all that pertains to the development of the agri- 
cultural class. He is an active and successful 
farmer and business man and has a neat and 
well kept property, equipped with good build- 
ings, an orchard and various modern improve- 
ments. He is especially interested in agri- 
cultural societies and the work for the advance- 
ment of farming interests and keeps in touch 
with the most modem progress. A gentleman 
of unblemished character, his word is as good 
as any bond that was ever solemnized by sig- 
nature or seal, and he and his wife stand very 
high socially in the community, having long 
resided here, so that their worth is well known. 



J.VCKSON PAGE. 



A valuable farm comprising one hundred and 
seven and a half acres of rich and productive 
land is the property of Jackson Page, and it 
lies on section 6, Duplain township, where he 
is now successfully engaged in fanning. More 
than a half century has come and gone since 
he located in this county, having arrived here 
in the fall of 1853. He was born in Porter 
township, Delaware county, Ohio, May 8, 
1832. He spent the first twenty years of his 
life upon the old homestead farm there, during 
which period he acquired a good common-school 



education. \\"hen a young man he came west 
to Michigan, settling in Gratiot county, where 
he entered one hundred and sixty acres of land. 
Later he returned to Ohio and brought his 
mother and her family to this state and they 
settled in Gratiot county. Mr. Page Ijegan 
clearing his own land and also met the ex- 
periences and vicissitudes of pioneer life. The 
great forests were uncut and abounded in many 
kinds of wild game, including deer. He also 
hunted and killed bears and greatly enjoyed the 
pleasures of the chase. A part of the time Mr. 
Page, while clearing his land, made his home 
with his mother Init later he built a little cabin 
on his place and for a time kept "kichelor's 
hall." 

.\fter the inauguration of the Civil war he 
enlisted at Eureka, in August, 1861, as a mem- 
ber of the Third Michigan Cavalry and with 
his regiment went south to Benton Barracks, 
St. Louis. Subsequently he participated in the 
siege of Corinth and in numerous other engage- 
ments in that part of the countiy. He was 
wounded at Booneville. being shot in the shoul- 
der, and thus disabled he was taken to the 
hospital, where he remained about a month. 
Later he rejoined his regiment and was in a 
number of important battles, including the en- 
gagements at luka and Bay Springs, Mis- 
sissippi, and Jackson, Tennessee, driving the 
Confederates out of that place, which was re- 
garded as a southern stronghold. On the ex- 
piration of his first term he veteranized and was 
then granted a thirty days' furlough which he 
spent at home. He then rejoined his regiment 
at St. Louis and went down the Mississippi 
river, participating in the siege of New Madrid 
and Island No. to. Later he was at Cairo and 
went up the Ohio river. He served until the 
close of the war and was at San Antonio, 
Texas, when mustered out. He had been at 
New Orleans and Mobile, also up the Red river 
and in various localities in that part of the 
country, being always on active duty, which 
sometimes led him into the thickest of the fight 
and again took him on long marches and hard 
campaigns. He was honorably discharged at 
Jackson, Michigan, in March, 1866. 




MR. AND AIRS. JACKSON PAGE. 



12 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



185 



Mr. Page at once returned home to his farm, 
and on tlie 2t,i\ of Septemlier of the same year 
was united in marriage to Mrs. Mary Dague, 
the widow of I'Ved Dague, who died in Ohio. 
Slie was a daughter of Hon. Joseph Keen, a 
prominent lawyer who served in the state legis- 
lature and who had been a major in the Ohio 
militia. He was a prominent and influential 
man and became a valued resident of Michigan. 
Following bis marriage Mr. Page located on 
the farm where he now resitles. on section 6, 
Duplain township, Clinton county, and he 
cleared the land and built ;i house. He bad 
purchased the farm while in the army, it ha\- 
ing been the i^roperty of bis brother George 
who died in tbc ser\-ice. In 1S8S Mr. Page 
erected his present attnictive residence and be 
has also put up a good barn, set out an orchard 
and made the place one of the productive farms 
of the county. Here he engages in the cultiva- 
tion of the cereals best adapted to soil and 
climate and also in the raising of stock, having 
good hogs, sheep, cattle and horses ui»n bis 
place. 

Mr. and Mrs. Page became the parents of 
four children but have lost two. and Mrs. Page 
also lost one child by her former marriage. 
Those yet living are : George, who is married 
and is now engaged in the operation of the 
home farm; and Fannie, the wife of George 
Andrews, a farmer of this township. Their 
daughter, Sarah, who for several years was a 
successful teacher, died in early womanhood. 
Katie was also a teacher and died when a young 
lady. By her former marriage Mrs. Page had 
a daughter, Edith, who married and settled in 
Saginaw county, Michigan, where her death 
occurred. 

Politically Mr. Page is a stalwart republican, 
having given imfaltering support to the party 
since casting his first presidential Iwllot for John 
C. Fremont in 1856. He has served as district 
treasurer and director of schools for a few 
years but does not care for political office. He 
was formerly for twenty-five years a member 
of the Eureka lodge, I. O. O. F., in which he 
has filled all of the offices and sen-ed as a past 
grand. He was also a member of tbc Grand 



Army post there but lK>tb lodges have dis- 
banded. His attention is chiefly given to his 
agricultural pursuits and his farm of one hun- 
dred and seven and a half acres is under a high 
state of cultivation. In matters of citizenship 
he is always public-spirited and progressive, 
manifesting the same loyalty to his country 
that he di.splayed when on southern battle- 
fields be wore the blue uniform of the nation. 



MER\1.\ WEBSTER. 

.Mcrvin Webster, living on .section 9, Bath 
township, is a prosperous agriculturi.st, whose 
farm of seventy acres indicates his careful 
supervision, practical methods and progressive 
.spirit. His life history began in Oakland 
county on the 25th of May, 1852. His father, 
John Webster, was likewise a native of that 
county, and the grandfather was Chester Wel> 
ster, whose birth occurred in Connecticut. Re- 
moving to the west he became one of the first 
settlers of Oakland county and in the midst of 
the green woods he established his home and 
developed a good fami. letting in the sunlight 
upon the fields as be cut down the timber and 
prepared the land for the plow. John Webster 
was reared to manhood in Oakland county and 
after reaching adult age he chose as a com- 
l)anion and helpmate for the journey of life 
Miss Chloe Richmond, who was born in the 
state of New "^'ork and was a daughter of John 
Richmond, also an early settler of Oakland 
county. Following his marriage John W'ebster 
carried oif farming in the county of his nativity 
for a numljer of years and the household was 
brightened by the presence of five children, who 
were born there. Later he renwved to Shia- 
wassee county where he again opened up a farm 
but eventually returned to Oakland countv, 
whence in 1867 he came to Clinton county. 
Here he purchased land, settling in Bath town- 
ship, but was not long permitted to enjov his 
new home for his death occurred in 1868. His 
wife survived him for a number of years and 
l)assed away in 1903. They had liecome the 



1 86 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY 



parents of three sons and four daughters and 
with the exce])tion of one son all reached adult 
age. 

Mervin Webster reached manhood upon the 
home farm, remaining with his mother until 
he was grown. He then began earning his own 
living by working as a fann hand by the month 
and was thus occupied for three years. In fact 
he was dejjendent uixin his own resources for 
a living from an early age and whatever suc- 
cess he has attained is attributable entirely to 
his labor and enterprise. He was married in 
Bath township, November 14. 1876, to Miss 
Mary E. Saxton. a daughter of J. B. Saxton, 
and a sister of Mrs. Nelson McLarren. whose 
sketch appears elsewhere in this work. After 
his marriage ]\Ir. Webster Ijought a small tract 
of land of thirty acres and locating thereon 
farmed it for a year. He next removed to 
Dewitt townshi]). taking up his abode on the 
farm of Horace Richmond, his uncle, his at- 
tention lieing given to its further cultivation 
for five years, during which time his labors 
brought him a capital sufficient to enable him 
to purchase forty acres, and he invested on sec- 
tion g, Bath township, where he now resides. 
Jmmediatel}- after he began to improve this 
property he bought thirty acres adjoining. The 
neat and substantial two story residence stand- 
ing here was built bv him, also the commodious 
barn and other outbuildings which furnish am- 
ple .shelter for grain and stock. Around the 
house is a well kept lawn and the farm is 
fenced. There is even' indication that the 
owner is a man of enterprise and industry to 
whom indolence and idleness are utterly foreign, 
for throughout the farm there is an air of neat- 
ness and thrift. 

Mr. and Mrs. Webster have a daughter, 
Sara, now a young lady at home. Since cast- 
ing his first presidential ballot for Samuel J. 
Tilden, in 1876, Mr. Webster has been an 
earnest democrat supporting each nominee at 
the head of the ticket. He was elected and 
served for two years as highway commissioner, 
for three terms has been supen-isor and while 
on the board was a member of the committee 
of equalization and claims and also chairman 



of the drainage committee. His interest in edu- 
cation has been manifest by the tangible and 
beneficial effort that he has put forth on the 
school Ijoard for the impro\ement of the schools 
and the employment of competent teachers. He 
is at present district clerk. All his life he has 
made his home in Michigan and is numbered 
among the old settlers of Clinton county, whose 
efforts have clone much toward making the 
countv what it is to-dav. 



JOSEPH HINMAN. 

The name of Joseph Hinman is closelv as- 
sociated with official service in Eagle township 
and as a re]>resentative of farming interests he 
is also well known. He was born in McKane 
county. Pennsylvania. Xnxember 25, 1834, and 
is a son of Curtis and Almira S. ( De Witt) 
Hinman, who were natives of the Empire state. 
The paternal grandfather was Peleg Hinman, 
wild was killed at Sacket Harljor, while serxing 
in the war of 1812. The maternal grandfather, 
Jacob I)e Witt, came from Pennsylvania to 
Michigan in 1838 by ox team and after going 
to Dunkirk and Detroit he located in Oakland 
count)', where he spent one year. 1 le then came 
to Clinton county in 1839 and settled in Eagle 
township, where he spent his remaining days. 
In 1838 ovu' subject's parents also came to 
Michigan, settling in Oakland county, but the 
following year remox'ed to Eagle township, 
Clinton county, and the father began farming 
on section 15 in what is known as the Grand 
river countrx'. He there Ixiught eighty acres 
of land, to which he added until at his death 
he owned a large estate. In the early days he 
frequently made trips to Pontiac to mill and 
marketed his grain at Detroit. He passed away 
at the age of sixty years, while his wife died 
previously at the age of forty-se\en years. In 
their family were ten children, of whom the 
following are living: Joseph, of this review; 
Charles, of Necosta county, Michigan; Dor- 
leska, the wife of A. H. Gibbs, of South 
Dakota; Herbert, of Tennes.see; Milford. of 



ai 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY 



187 



Missouri: Cienrge, wlm is living in l'>ay county. 
Michigan; I\eul)cn. of W'estplialia townslii]). 
Clinton count)': and llenrw who resides in 
the stale of Washington, 'i'wo of tlie family 
have ])asse<l ;i\vay : Jennie, who was the wite of 
\\illi:nn KadditY: and Edward C. who was 
huried at sea while returning from .\laska. 

Joseph liinman received hut liniited educa- 
tional privileges. ])ursuing his studies in a log 
schoolhouse on the frontier, where the methods 
of instruction were very primitive. He early 
l>egan work 011 a f;irm. I lis father was a 
carpenter hut Josepli liinman preferred tlie 
lahor of the fields and at the age of twentx- 
Due years he starte<l out in life on his own ac- 
count. .\ttracted hy the discovery of gold at 
Pike"s I'eak he went west to Colorado, and 
afterward to Oregon, where lie remained for 
two years. He then returned to his native 
state and locating in Eagle township ])urchased 
eighty acres of his ])resent t'arm. .\s his in- 
creased financial resources have made possihle 
the additional ]>urcliasc of land he has added to 
the i)lace until he now owns two hundred and 
.seventy acres, the greater part of which has 
been lirougiit to a high state of cultivation. He 
has erected modern buildings here and has one 
of the finest farms in Clinton county. He Ins 
assisted in clearing much land in this locality 
and in his own business operations has dis- 
played the unfaltering energy and determination 
which always constitute a safe liasis for suc- 
cess. With the f-imily he shared in all of the 
hardships and privations of pioneer life as well 
as its pleasures and can rememlier when Clin- 
ton county was largely an unsettled district. 
He was but eleven years of age when he killed 
a bear in this county and lie bad other interest- 
ing and exciting ex])eriences. 

On the rjtb of May, 1862, Mr. Hinman was 
married to Mi.ss Sarah Goss, a daughter of 
David Goss, of W^estplialia township, and they 
now have three children: Maud, the wife of 
Henry Giilds, of Saginaw. Michigan: John C. 
bving in luigle townslii]); and .\da. the wife of 
Charles W. Brown, living on the licinie farm. 

In his political views Mr. Hinman is in- 
dependent. He iias served as supervisor for 



two terms, as township treasurer for tiiree 
tciins and in other minor offices, the duties of 
which he has di.scharged with capability and 
])romptness. He is a man of sound judgment 
in business matters and his utilization of oppor- 
tunity and carefully directed labors have made 
him one of the substantial agriculturists of his 
community. Moreover be is one of the ])ioneer 
settlers of the ouintv and bis memorv carries 
with it many ])ictures ni the earlv da\s when 
the forests were uncut and land unclaimed. .\s 
the yeai's lia\e gone by be has taken just jiride 
in wlnt h;is been acconi])lishcd in the way of 
ile\elo])nient and improvement and has long 
been clas.sed as a representative and jiublic- 
si)iriteil citizen. 



l':i)Wl.\ I'ARKER. 



Edwin I'arker. who is interested in farming 
on section jt,. Victor township, and whose 
l)ractical methods in cultivating and improving 
his land are shown in the neat appearance of Iiis 
farm of eighty acres, is a native son of this 
township, his birth having occurred within its 
borders on the 13th of March, 1849. His 
father. John Parker, was a native of the state 
of Xew \'(]rk. of \\bom further mention is 
made t)n another ])age in connection with the 
sketches of Epson and Xewell Parker. In the 
family were thirteen children, nine sons and 
tour daughters, of whom seven are yet living. 

The family settled in Victor to\vn.ship in 
])ioneer days. Edwin was there reared upon 
the old homestead and has shared with the fam- 
ily in the hanlships and vicissitudes of pioneer 
life as well as in its jileasures. He remained 
with bis mother until he had attained his ma- 
jority and assisted in the o|)eniiig u]) and ini- 
])roving of the farm so that be gained prac- 
tical knowledge of the best methods of tilling 
the soil. I^ater he began to improve his own 
place — an eighty-acre tract of land. He cleared 
and fenced this, adding .substantial buildings, 
and in fact has made the farm what it is to- 
day. He planted a gcxul orciiard, also set out 



1 88 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



shade and ornamental trees which add to the 
value and attractive appearance of the home. 
The farm is now well impro\ed and equipped 
witli all modern conveniences and the owner 
is regarded as a most practical agriculturist, 
who is making continuous progress in his 
chosen field of labor. 

Mr. Parker was united in marriage in Shia- 
wassee county to Miss Hattie Swarthout. a na- 
tive of Michigan. They began their domestic 
life u])on a fann wliere Mrs. Parker died and 
later Mr. Parker was again married in Shia- 
wassee county, his second union being with Miss 
Gussie Scliultz. a German lady, who died fifteen 
months later. In Perr}-, Miciiigan. he wedded 
Mrs. Clara Calkins, a widow, who by her for- 
mer marriage had one son. Glenn Calkins, wiio 
is assisting Air. Parker in carn,-ing on the 
home farm. 

A temperance man in principle and practice. 
Mr. Parker is now voting with the prohibition 
party. He has never desired or sought office, 
preferring to give his time and attention to his 
farm work and business interests. His entire 
life has been passed in Clinton county and in 
the development and progress of Victor town- 
ship he has been closely associated. He is 
familiar witli its history and has intimate 
knowledge of the efforts which have marked its 
progress as the j'ears ha\'e gone lj\' and Clinton 
county has taken its place among the leading 
counties of this great commonwealth. 



BEXJ.VMIX F. YOUNG. 

In his farming operations on section 3, Ben- 
gal township, Mr. Young has found that in- 
dustry and persistence constitute a sure and 
safe basis of .success, and as the years have 
gone by he has so conducted his business af- 
fairs that he has prospered and become the 
owner of an improved farm of one hundred and 
twenty acres. In the township where he yet 
resides he first opened his eyes to the light of 
day, his birthplace being his present farm and 
the date February 17, 1844. His father was 



Jonathan Young, a native of England, born in 
Yorkshire, where he was reared and married 
the first time. After crossing the Atlantic to 
the new world he made his way direct to Michi- 
gan in 1840, settling in Clinton county, and 
here he married his .second wife, Mrs. Hannah 
Green, who was a widow and was one of the 
early settlers of Bengal township. She had 
entered land from the government here, tecom- 
ing owner of two hundred acres. Mr. Young 
later cleared this land and continued the work 
of farming, spending his remaining days on 
that property. Both lie and his wife died in 
tlie year 1856. 

Benjamin F. Young, the only son of this 
nil inn. was reared upon the old farm homestead 
and was indebted to the district school of the 
neighliorhood for the educational privileges he 
enjoyed. Following the death of his parents 
he was under care of a guardian until he at- 
tained his majority. He was only twenty years 
of age. when in Alarch. 1864. he re- 
sixnded to tlie country's call for troops, 
enlisting in Company A of the Twenty- 
third Michigan Infantry. He served in the 
.\rmy of Ohio under Generals Schofield and 
Spaulding and jiarticipated in the battle of 
Kenesaw Mniintain. the Atlanta campaign, the 
capture of the city of Atlanta, the battles of 
Franklin and Nasli\ilte and a number of less 
im]ii)rtant engagements, serving until the close 
of the war. During a part of the time he was 
on detached duty at Raleigh, North Carolina, 
and was there mustered out on tlie 5th of June, 
1866. He lost no time while in the service 
from sickness or other cause and after being 
honorably discharged returned to his home in 
Bengal township. 

Mr. Young at once resumed farming and he 
gained a companion and helpmate for life's 
journey by his marriage, October 2, 1867, to 
Miss Julia D. Grant, also a native of Bengal 
township and a daughter of Charles Grant, one 
of the early settlers, who came from New York 
state to Michigan about 1838. Mr. Young." 
now having further impetus for renewed effort 
in his farm work, cleared more land, fenced his 
place and brought his fields up to a high state 




B. F. YOUNG. 




MRS. 



•'. ^'OUNG. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



193 



of cultivation. He has erected a substantial 
residence iiere, also two s^ood barns and two 
sjninaries. tn^elher with dlhcr nuthuildings for 
the shelter of the stock. He has ])lanted an 
orchard, put in sume tile and now has a well 
developed farm of one hundred and twenty 
acres uhich is lar<i^ely f;'i\en to the raising of 
cereals Ijesl adajjtetl to soil and climate. How- 
ever, he also engages to some extent in stock- 
raising, having good Durham cattle. Shrop- 
shire sheep and Poland China hogs. 

Mr. and Mrs. Young have become the par- 
ents of four children: Viola A., the wife of 
Herschel Hostettler, a farmer of Bengal town- 
ship, and by whom she has five children, Earl, 
Howard, Myron, Dorotliy and Lawrence; Ida, 
the wife of Merritt Ridnour, who has built a 
neat resiflence and is now carrying on the 
Y'oung farm, and they have two children, Edna 
and Carl; Mxron, who died in early manhood 
in 1900; and Charles L.. wlm died at the age 
of six years. 

In politics Mr. Young is a true blue repub- 
lican, casting his first presidential ballot for Gen- 
eral Grant in t868 and for each presidential 
nominee of the party since that time. He has 
taken quite an active interest in local elections 
and has served for two temis as assessor and 
four consecutive terms as sui)ervisor, during 
which time he acted on a number of important 
committees, including the equalization, claims 
and ]niblic buildings committees. He has like- 
wi.se served as drain commissioner. He was 
one of the charter members of Bengal town- 
ship CJrange, nf which he served as master, and 
he beliings to St. Johns jjost. G. .\. R.. while 
he and his wife are devoted members of St. 
Johns Methodist Episcopal church. From his 
infancy down to the present time he has lived 
u])on the farm which is \'et his home and has 
many friends who ha\e known him from his 
boyho<Kl to the present time. That his life has 
lieen honorable and upright is indicated by the 
fact that he yet recei\es their friendship and 
warm regard. While carrying on his private 
business interests he has never l)een neglectful 
of the duties of citizenship and the creditable 
militarv record which he made as a soldier of 



the Union Army has lx;en indicative of his 
loyalty to civic honor and public progress in the 
years that ha\e since come and gone. 



FRAXK L DOUGLAS. 

( )ne of the attractixe modern residences in 
W'atertown townshij) is the home of Frank L. 
Douglas, who resi<les on section 17, where he 
has a valualile and well improved farm. He is 
a native of Avon, New York, born July 10, 
1 85 1. His paternal grandfather, Caleb Douglas, 
was a native of Sandersfield, Massachusetts, 
born July 6. 1788. His mother died when he 
was only three weeks old and in 1805 he re- 
moved to Hubbard, New York, with the gentle- 
man who had adopted him but he still kept the 
name of Douglas. He purchased a farm in that 
locality and there spent his remaining days, 
passing away in 1839. He held membership in 
the Baptist church aiifl lived a life that com- 
manded for him the respect and confidence of 
all with whom he was associated. On the 2d 
of July, 1807. he was married to Belinda Chap- 
pell, a daughter of William Chappell, of Mas- 
sachusetts. 

Yates Douglas, father of our subject, was 
born in the Empire state and was there married 
to Miss Eliza Adams, likewise a native of New 
York. In the spring of 1870 they went to 
Kan.sas, joining a colony at Blue Rapids, that 
state. They were among the first .settlers there 
and the father made his home in Kansas 
throughout the remainder of his life. He lived 
there during the days of stockades and other 
evidences of pioneer life and took a prominent 
and heli)ful part in the development and 
progress of that section of the C(juntn'. He 
died in 1890, at the age of sixty-seven years, 
his birth having occurred in 1823, while his 
wife, who was Ijorn in 1826, is still living in 
Kansas. She was a daughter of Abraham 
Adams, a native of Vermont, who removed to 
New ^'ork and served his country as a captain 
in the war of 1812. He was fearless and out- 
spoken and possessed a progressive spirit that 



194 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



made him a valued citizen of the community in 
whicli he resided. In the family of Yates and 
Ann Eliza Douglas there were seven children: 
Ora B. and Eugene ^'., who are resi<lents of 
Kansas: Eliza A., the wife of Theodore Mc- 
Grath, of Lemar. Colorado; Ellen V.. the wife 
of Clarence Jaqua, of Chicago; Alice E.. the 
wife of E. P. Bixhy. of Kansas; Clarence M.. 
who is also living in the Sunflower state; and 
l''i'ank L.. the third in Drder nt liirth. 

In the puhlic schools of his native town 
Frank L. Douglas ac(|uired his education and 
at the age of nineteen years went to Kansas, 
where he engaged in merchandising with his 
father at Blue Rajiids. He was also engaged 
in teaming nn the ])lains for three years and 
then turned his attention to farming, entering 
a claim on a quarter section of land in Mitchell 
county. Kansas, whereon lie remained fur nine 
years. In 1884 he arrived in W'atertown town- 
ship, Clinton county, Michigan, and settled on 
section 1 7, purchasing one hundred and forty- 
se\'en acres of land, whereon he now resides. 
In the fall of 1895 he started with his wife 
and son Bruce to Fitzgerald, Georgia, travel- 
ing the entire distance hy team and reaching his 
destination after ten weeks spent ui)nn the road. 
The ohject of the trip made in this manner was 
to henefit the health of the son. For six years 
the}' remainerl in the south, during which time 
Mr. Douglas was for one year an enlisted 
soldier of the Spanish-American war. He was 
not sent to the islands, however, hut remained 
at Tampa, l*"loi-ida ; Huntsville. Alahama, and 
at Chickamauga Park. He was in the quarter- 
master's department with Company D, of the 
Fifth Maryland regiment and the depot quar- 
termaster's department. On again coming 
north Mr. Douglas \isited the Pan-American 
Exposition at Buffalo and then returned to the 
farm in Watertown township whereon he has 
since resided. His attention has been given in 
undivided manner to the improvement and 
cultivation of the farm and he now has fine 
property. His iiouse was burned to the ground 
on the 16th of December, 1904, and in the 
summer of 1905 he erected another residence 
at a cost of thirtv-five hundred dollars. It is 



a fine country home, supplied with all modern 
equipments and tastefully furnished. There are 
also good outbuildings uixin the place and every 
facility needed to carry on the farm work. 

On the 30th of November, 1881. Mr. 
Douglas was united in marriage to Miss Addie 
C, daughter of William and Cordelia (Gates) 
Douglas, of Avon, Xew York. She was born 
in Fima, that state, and her parents were also 
natives of western Xew ^'ork. Her father died 
June \(i. 1899, at the age of seventy-nine years. 
while his wife passed awav in 1893, at the age 
of seventy-four years. ]\Irs. Douglas of this 
re\iew was their only daughter, and was born 
August T", 1850. There has been one child 
of this marriage, Bruce Bryant Douglas, who 
was educated in the high school of St. Johns. 

In his ])olitical views Mr. Douglas is a re- 
publican anil fraternallv is connected with tlie 
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of which 
he is past grand ; and the Maccabees tent, of 
which he is senior past commander, while his 
wife is the senior past commander of the hive 
of the same order. He is a progressive citizen, 
keeping in touch with modern progress along 
agricu!ttn"al lines and is a man of genial dis- 
position, whose many good traits of character 
ha\-e gained for him the warm regard t}f a large 
circle of friends. 



H1R.\M E. I10\\'1':LL. 

Hiram E. Howell resides on section 9, 
Dewitt township, where he owns and operates 
a neat and an attractive farm of sixty acres. 
He is numliered among the old settlers of the 
state, for his residence in Michigan dates from 
1843 and since 1870 he has lived in Clinton 
county. I le was born in Seneca county. New 
York, March 11, 1840. His father, Isaac 
Howell, was a native of the Empire state, where 
he s])ent his youth and was married to Anna 
Bloodgood, also a native of New York. In 
1843 he removed to Michigan with his family, 
settling in Crenesee county in the midst of the 
forest, where he hewed out a fanu. He had 



% 



m 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



195 



to cut (Inwii the timber from his land and clear 
away the hnish liefore he couiil plow and plant 
the fields hut in the course of years he opened 
up a good farm nf eighty acres. Later he sold 
tiiis property and reuuned to hlint. where he re- 
sided until his death. In his fainilx' were twelve 
children, all of whom grew to manhood or 
womanhood and the youngest, Martin, was a 
.soldier of the L'nion arnn' in the Ci\il war and 
was killed in the .service. 11. 1*^. Howell and 
three sisters are the surviving members of the 
family. 

Mr. Howell of this re\iew spent the days 
of his boyhood and youth in (lenesee county 
and after mastering the common branches of 
learning in the jjublic schools he attended the 
high school at blint. He remained with his 
father throughoiU the ])eriod of his \-outh or 
until i86r. when on the 4th of December of that 
year he resiXJiided to his country's call for aid 
and joined the boys in blue of Com])any 1. 
Tenth Michigan Infantry. He then went south 
and joined the .\rmy of the Tennessee under 
General Thomas. .After participating in the 
battle of Corinth. Mississippi, the regiment pro- 
ceeded to Tennessee and Mr. Howell was in the 
last battle at Nashville, having in the meantime 
])articipated in the engagements of Stone River, 
Missionary Ridge, Lookout Mountain, Tunnel 
Hill, Buzzard's Roost and many others of less 
importance. Having served for three years, he 
re-enlisted as a veteran and was granted a fur- 
lough of thirty days, after which he rejoined 
his regiment at Resaca, Georgia, and partici- 
pated in the battle there. I^ter he went on 
the .\tlanta camixiign ami assisted in the cap- 
ture of JonesJKiro and .\tlanta, two of tiie im- 
l^ortant soutiiem strongholds, and following the 
capitulation of the latter city he went with Sher- 
man on the celebrated march to the sea, partici- 
pating in the battle of Raleigh. North Carolina. 
After the surrender of General Lee he marched 
with his command through Richmond and on 
to Washington, I^. C, where he participated in 
the grand review, which was the event that 
signalized the closing of the war. He lost no 
time from the service on account of illness, for 
he was never in the hospital and after receiving 



an honorable discharge at Jack.son, Michigan, 
in iSf)5 he returned to his home, having made 
a splendid record as a soldier. 

.Mr. Howell then went to Flint, where he 
rested for a time after the arduous life of the 
campaigner. He is a blacksmith by trade and 
when he had somewhat recu])erated after his 
military e.xjierience he worked with his brother 
at his trade in h'lint. In 1870 he came to 
Clinton county, .settling on the fann where he 
now resides. He also opened a blacksmith shop 
on this place and did work for the ix^)ple of the 
neighborhmd. His attention, however, has 
lieen chieHy given to his agricultund pursuits 
and he now has a good farm property, which in 
Its neat and thrifty appearance indicates his 
careful supervision and practical methods. 

In 1S70 Mr. Howell was united in marriage 
to Miss -Maggie Irish, a native of New York, 
where her girlhood days were passed. The 
present I lowell farm was f(-)rmerly the old 
Irish homestead and here Mr. Howell has car- 
ried on lioth blacksmithing and agricultural 
pursuits, making substantial improvements on 
the land, including the erection of a good resi- 
dence. In politics he has been a lifelong re- 
publican, casting his first presidential ballot for 
Abraham Lincoln while .ser\'ing in the army 
in 1864. He has ne\er .sought or desired office 
but was elected and for one term acted as high- 
way commissioner. He belongs to the Grand 
-Army post at Dewitt, of which he has Ijeen com- 
mander, and has the warm regard of his old 
army comrades and of the general public as 
well. 



ALONZO WEBSTER. 

.\lonzo Webster, a representative and sub- 
stantial agriculturist of Bath township, having 
a farm on sections 8 and 9, where he owns 
and operates one hundred and sixty-six acres 
of well improved land, was bom in Oakland 
county. Michigan, on the 22d of Octoljer, 1848. 
His father, John Webster, is mentioned on 
another jvige of this work in connection with 
the sketch of Mervin Webster, who is a brother 



196 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



of our subject. In the year 1867 Alonzo 
Welister accompanied his parents on their re- 
moval to this county and the remainder of his 
minority was passed upon the farm where he 
now resides. He and his brother Mervin 
cleared, improved and made this farm, but later 
he worked out by the month as a farm hand 
for a few years. He then returned to the old 
homestead, bought the interest of the other heirs 
in the property and succeeded to the owner- 
ship of the place. He has built a good resi- 
dence here, also substantial barns and other 
necessary outbuildings. A good orchard of his 
own planting yields its fruits in season and the 
well kept fields are divided by fences which he 
has built. He has altogether a valuable farm, 
equipped with modern accessories and con- 
veniences. 

Mr. Webster was married, in Bath township, 
April 20, 1876, to Miss Lucetta Wilson, 
whose birth occurred in Livingston county, 
Micln'gan, and who is a daughter of John W. 
\Vilson, one of the early settlers of Livingston 
county. He became a soldier of the Union 
anny at the time of the Civil war and laid 
down his life on the altar of his country. Mrs. 
^^'ebster was reared in Livingston and Clinton 
counties and is a lady of good education, who 
for some years prior to her marriage engaged 
in teaching. She has become the mother of 
three children ; Willard, a young man at home, 
who in connection with his father, owns and 
operates two hundred and twenty-four acres of 
land: Ruth, who was formerly a capable teacher 
of Clinton county, l)ut was married August 
30, 1905, to I'rancis Eschtruth. of this county: 
and Elmer, with his parents. 

In early life Mr. Webster gave his political 
allegiance to the democracy but is now a stal- 
wart republican and supported William Mc- 
Kinley and Theodore Roosevelt for the presi- 
dency. He was elected and served for one year 
as supervisor of Bath township and served on 
the committee on pulilic buildings and also on 
other important committees. For four or five 
years he was township treasurer, called to the 
office by popular vote, and for a quarter of a 
century has been a menilier of the school board. 



He has likewise served as moderator and dis- 
trict clerk and his long continuance in oflFice 
is proof of his capability and fidelity to the 
general welfare. He and his wife are loyal 
and valued members of the IMethodist Episco- 
])al church, in which he is serving as one of 
the trustees and stewards. He is likewise a 
member of Bath lodge. No. 124, I. O. O. F., 
has filled all of its chairs and is past grand, 
while in die grand lodge of the state he has 
been a representative. Both he and his wife 
are connected with Rebekah lodge, of which she 
is a very prominent member, has filled all of its 
chairs and is past noble grand. They are both 
highly esteemed, the circle of their friends being 
co-extensive with the circle of their acquaint- 
ance. 



ELI A. SMITH. 



A farm of one hundred acres, well improved 
and highly cultivated, is the property of Eli 
A. Smith and lies on section 23, Lebanon town- 
ship. Since 1875 Mr. Smith has made his 
home in Clinton county, coming to the west 
from Pennsylvania, his native state. He was 
born in York county, April 3. 1854, and is a 
son of William C. Smith, a native of Mary- 
land, who when a lad went to Pennsylvania and 
was there reared. In that state he wedded 
Catherine Florea, a native of Pennsylvania, and 
he followed farming in York county for some- 
time, after which he removed to Seneca county, 
Ohio, where he carried on general agricultural 
jmrsuits for five years. In 1865 he came to 
Alichigan, .settling in Clinton county, where he 
lx>ught eighty acres of land, after which he be- 
gan its cultivation and improvement. Eventu- 
ally he sold that projierty and returned to the 
Buckeye state, but after a year again came to 
Michigan, settling in Gratiot county, where he 
spent his remaining days. His wife also passed 
away there in 1888. Their family numbered 
four sons and four daughters and with the ex- 
ception of one daughter all are yet living. 

Eli A. Smith was reared in Essex and 
Lebanon townships and at an early age started 



r 
ir. 



V. 

c 



r 




PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



199 



out ill life 1111 his own account, \vt)rl<ing' by the 
month as a farm hand for seven years. He was 
married in Essex tovvn-ship on the 2d of Marcli. 
187S. to Miss Susan Ridenour. a native of that 
township and a daughter of Jolin Ritlenour, one 
of the early settlers of Ohio. The young couple 
located on a forty acre farm, which he had 
previously purchased in Dallas township, but 
after cultivating that tract for alK)ut a year Mr. 
Smith sold the property and liought forty acres 
where he now resides on section 23. Lebanon 
township. He then turned his attention to 
cultivating and improving this tract and when 
his financial resources made possible the pur- 
chase of additional land he e.xtended the 
boundaries of his farm until he now has one 
hundred acres, all in one Ixxly. He has built a 
neat brick residence which is surrounded by a 
well kept lawn enclosed in an iron fence. There 
are cement walks alwut the place and in fact 
this is one of the fine country homes of the 
township, having modem conveniaices and 
tasteful furnishings, while its hospitality is 
most enjoyable, being freely and graciously 
accorded to the many friends of the family. 
Mr. Smith has also built two large barns, a 
good granan.- and tool house, has sunk a deep 
well, put in a wind ])ump and has added other 
modern equipments, including the latest im- 
proved machinery. 

The home of Mr. and Mrs. Smith has been 
blessed with five children: Mrs. Valma Lyon, 
who formerly engaged in teaching and now re- 
sides with her father, having one son. Harold 
Lyon; Myrtie M., the wife of Burt Hiner, a 
farmer living on land adjoining her father's 
place; and William John and Herman E., both 
at home. They lost their first Iwrii. Sylvia A., 
who died at die age of ten months. 

Politically Mr. Smith is a republican, in- 
terested in the part)- an<l its success and doing 
all in his ixjwer to promote its progress and 
secure the adoption of its principles. He was 
elected and ser\ed as drain commissioner and 
acted as justice of the peace for a year to fill out 
a vacancy but has never been active as a poli- 
tician, preferring to give his undivided atten- 
tion to his business interests. He is a member 
13 



of the Grange, of the I^banon Farmers' Club 
and of three fraternal insurance companies, in- 
cluding the Maccabees and Northwestern In- 
surance Company. His life is characterized by 
industry and unabating energy and even-thing 
about his ])lace is characterized by system and 
order. He is, moreover, a .self-made man. who 
as a farm hand started out in life on his own 
account and has gradually worked his way 
upward and imw has valuable property interests. 



JOHN FIZZELL. 



John Fizzell, living on section 17, Duplain 
township, is one of the active, dirifty anrl pros- 
perous farmers, owning and operating a valu- 
able and well improved tract of land of eighty 
acres. He has lieen an interested witness of the 
progress and development of Clinton county 
since 187 1 and since 1866 has made his home 
in Michigan. He is a native of Canada, hav- 
ing been Ijorn in Ontario, on the 3d of March, 
1854. He is a son of William Fizzell and a 
l)rother of A\^illiam Fizzell. Jr.. whose sketch 
appears elsewhere in this work. With his par- 
ents he came to Michigan in 1866, being then 
a youth of eight years, the family home being 
established in Wayne county, where he was 
reared to manhood, acquiring his education in 
the public schools of Wayne and Clinton 
counties. He remained with his father on die 
farm until he had attained his maioritv and as 
his age and strenglh permitted more and more 
largely assisted in the work of the fields. He 
first l)egan earning his own living by working 
as a fami hand by the month and in that 
capacity he was employed for several years 
and during that jieriod he saved his earnings. 
Liter he and his brother William I»ught 
eighty acres of land together, each having forty 
acres, and John Fizzell began to clear, fence 
and open up his farm, .\fterward he tought 
another tract of twenty acres and still later 
twenty acres additional, so that he now has a 
good farm of eighty acres, on which he has 
built a substantial and neat residence, also good 
If 



200 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



barns and outljuildings. He lias likewise 
planted an orchard, fenced tlie place and divided 
it into fields of convenient size, which are now 
cleared of stumps and yield rich harvests an- 
nually. 

On the Tith of November. 1879. Mr. Fizzell 
wa§ united in marriage to Miss Alice Aver}', 
a daughter of T. C. .\ver\'. formerly of New 
York. Mrs. Fizzell was reared and educated 
in Michigan, however, and by her marriage has 
become the mother of two children. Charles C. 
and Ruby. They also have an adopted child. 
Emery, who Ijecame a member of the household 
in infancy at the time of the mother's death, 
Mrs. Fizzell being his aunt. 

Politically Mr. Fizzell is an earnest repub- 
lican, who keeps well informed on the ques- 
tions and issues of the day. but has never sought 
or cared for office, preferring to give his time 
and attention to his business interests, in which 
he is meeting with signal success. He and his 
wife are consistent members of the Duplain 
Methodist Episcopal church, of which Mr. Fiz- 
zell is one of the trustees. He is likewise a 
Sunday-school worker and has served as su- 
perintendent of the Sunday-school for three 
years, while his wife has been a teacher in the 
school. He belongs to the local Grange, of 
which he is now master, and he maintains a 
deep and helpful interest in every movement 
and measure that is calculated to benefit the 
material, intellectual or moral progress of the 
community. He has lived a life of uprightness 
and honor and in the years of his residence in 
Clinton county, covering more than a third 
of a century, he has enjoyed in full measure the 
trust of his fellowmen. 



ALEXANDER W. MORRISON. 

Alexander \V. Morrison started out in life 
on his own account when onl}- thirteen years 
of age. To-day he is a prosperous citizen of 
St. Johns, living retired with a competence that 
surrounds him with all of the comforts and 
many of the luxuries that go to make life worth 



the living. He is a native son of ^Michigan, 
and a typical representative of the west, be- 
longing to that class to whom the great middle 
section of the countrj- owes its late progress and 
advancement. He was born .\pril 2, 1842, his 
]5arents being Hamilton and Jane (McKee) 
Morrison. The father was bom in Glasgow, 
Scotland, and his wife was a native of Catskill, 
New York. Their married life was spent in 
Michigan, having removed from Albany, New 
York, to this state about 1837. They lived for 
a time in Detroit, after which they took up 
their alx)de in a house that stood on the present 
site of the Hudson store in that city. The 
father was foreman of the Michigan Central 
Railroad Company there for forty years or 
more. Unto him and his wife were torn six 
children, of whom George H. and Alexander 
\V. are now living, while those who have 
passed away are Hamilton, Mary, Charlotte and 
Addie. 

Alexander ^^^ ^Morrison had little oppor- 
tunity to acquire an education. He lived at 
home until 1856, when at the age of thirteen 
years he entered the employ of the Michigan 
Central Railroad Company, working for fifty 
cents per clay in the truck department. He con- 
tinued there through the summer and in the 
late autumn entered school, pursuing his studies 
through the winter months. In the spring of 
1857 he went on an expedition to Lake Su- 
perior and assisted in building a store house at 
Houghton for the Franklin mine. After six 
weeks in that district he returned to Detroit 
and secured work at trucking on the docks. His 
duty was the weighing of freight and the su- 
pervision of the loading of luml^er going over 
the Michigan Central Railroad from the 
various mills. In the meantime the Grand 
Trunk Railroad was built and Mr. Morri.son 
was given the position to look after its yard 
and keep it clear of lumber. In this capacity 
he had supervision over twehe men. He loaded 
the first cars there that were sent east over the 
Grand Trunk line. He had charge of the docks 
and receipted for all cargoes coming to the 
docks and at times employed fifty men. 

Mr. Morrison was thus engaged until after 




ALEXANDER W . MORRISOX. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



203 



tlie outbreak of the Civil war, when he enlisted 
as a memlier of Company H. Twenty-fourth 
Michigan regiment, joining the amiy as a 
])ri\ate. He was mustered in in July, 1862. at 
l^etroit, under Captain Warren A. Vinton, and 
participated in two important engagements at 
I'rederickshurg and the hotly contested hattle of 
Gettysburg, and in all of the principal battles 
of the Army of the Potomac. He was under 
fire at Antietam and witli Grant at Petersburg. 
On his arri\al at Peterslnirg on the skirmish 
line he threw himself into a pit. laying there all 
day with the shells flying over him. .\t this 
time he was made orderly and was attached to 
Clencral Bragg's staff until February 7, 1865, 
when at Danby's Mills he was taken prisoner, 
being engaged at that time in carrying orders 
for General Bragg. Being cajHured he was 
sent to Richmond and ])laced in the I^embcrton 
prison, where he remained for four days, when 
he came under general parole of all prisoners of 
the United States and went to Annapolis, 
being sent thence to Columbus, Ohio, where he 
was given thirty days' furlough, which period 
he spent in Detroit. In the meantime his regi- 
ment was sent to Springfield. Illinois, to take 
charge of Camp Butler and on the expiration 
of his time of furlough Mr. Morrison rejoined 
his regiment at Springfield and soon afterward 
went to New York city with a carload of 
troops to Bedloe's Island. After two days he 
was detailed and returned to Toledo, Ohio, and 
on to Springfield. Illinois. When on the way 
to New York he learned of the a.ssassination of 
President Lincoln, the news being received at 
Toledo, and when he returned to the Illinois 
capital he attended the funeral of the martyred 
president, his regiment acting as escort on that 
occasion. Leaving Springfield he went to De- 
troit, where he was mustered out in the sum- 
mer of 1865. At the celebration held at Get- 
tysburg. Mr. Morrison was the only man 
eligible to carry the brigade flag, which was 
brought from Madison, Wisconsin, for the oc- 
casion and which hatl lieen purchased at a co.st 
of five hundred dollars and pre.sented to the 
brigade by residents of Indiana, Michigan and 
Wisconsin. 



When the war was over Mr. Morrison re- 
turned to Detroit and again entered the railroad 
service, having charge of a gang of men un- 
loading flour, pork and freight, which was 
being shipped east by water through the lakes. 
He occu])icd that position for three years, when 
Captain Ward, of Chicago, offered him a posi- 
tion which he refused, and again he entered the 
truck department with increased wages, filling 
the position for four years. 

Tn 1874 Mr. Morrison returned to St. Johns, 
where he embarked in the restaurant business 
on Clinton avenue, being thus engaged for three 
years. He then returned to Detroit and for a 
year was on the police force, after which he 
once more took up his abode in St. Johns and 
liurchased a lot where his present fine brick 
block now stands. He again opened a restaur- 
ant and within two years ha<l discharged all his 
tniaiicial oblig;itions on the property which he 
had jnirchased and made additions to the store, 
continuing its impnivement until the present 
large brick business block w;is completed. He 
conducted his restaurant with excellent success 
for fourteen years, his capable management and 
keen business discrimination gaining for him a 
merited degree of prosperity. He then retired 
to look after his other business interests and is 
now giving general sui)er\ision to his invest- 
ments. 

Mr. Morrison was niarric<l. in 1865, to Miss 
Sarah lUish. <a daughter of Hiram Bush, of 
Detroit, and she died in 18^17. at the age of 
twenty-six years. In 1878 he married Anna 
Lewis, of Detroit, a native of Springfield, Mas- 
sachusetts. Mr. Morrison belongs to Grisson 
post, G. .\. R.. thus maintaining pleasant re- 
lations with his old army comrades. He 
manifests an active interest in the leading af- 
fairs of the day. Surrounded in his home by 
those who are his warm personal friends and 
favorably known in other sections of the state, 
his career is one to which his family and his 
friends may refer with just pride. Endowed 
by n.'iture with a sound judgment and an ac- 
curate discriminating mind he has not feared 
that laborious attention to business so necessarj' 
to achieve success and this essential quality 



204 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



has been guided by a sense of right, whicli 
would tolerate the employment only of the 
means that will bear closest investigation and 
scrutiny. 



WILLIAM H. CASTLE. 

The inherent force of character which en- 
abled William H. Castle to work his way 
through college has also brought him gratifying 
success as a member of the bar of Clinton 
county-. He resides in St. Johns and is a native 
of Washtenaw county, Michigan, ))orn ]\Iarch 
l8, 1846. His parents, William and Betsey 
(Stevens) Castle, were natives of New York 
and Massachusetts respectively and were mar- 
ried in Michigan. The father came to this state 
in 1837, settling in Washtenaw county, and in 
1 85 1 he removed to Montcalm county, this 
state, where he carried on general agricultural 
pursuits. He served as supervisor there and 
was somewhat prominent in public affairs. He 
died in 1888. at the advanced age of seventy- 
six years, while his wife passed away in 1900, 
at the age of eighty-two years. Little is known 
concerning the ancestral history of the family 
save that Amos Castle, the paternal grand- 
father, was a resident of the state of New York, 
while Joseph Stevens, the maternal grandfather, 
lived for some years in Massachusetts and after- 
ward became a pioneer resident of W'ashtenaw 
county, Michigan. Subsequently he removed 
to ]\Iontcalm county, settling in Bnshnell 
township, where he died in 1863. at the age of 
seventy-diree years. 

William H. Castle began his education in the 
district schools, having the privilege of attend- 
ing for onlv about two months during a three 
mondis" winter term until seventeen years of 
age, for his .services were largely needed upon 
the home farm and he worked in the fields 
from the time of early .^^pring planting until 
after crops were harvested in the late autumn. 
There came a decided change in his life, how- 
ever, in January, 1864, at which time he was 
mustered into the Union army as a member of 
Company F. First Michigan Cavalr\-. with 



whiim he served for a year and a half, being 
mustered out on the 15th of June, 1865. He 
came home on parole and was discharged by 
telegraph order which was sent to all sick and 
wounded soldiers. He had been wounded in 
the left shoulder March 31, 1865, ^vhile the 
arni_\- was on the move supporting General 
Grant near Pittsburg, Virginia. He afterward 
lay in the hospital at Camp Stoneman for two 
and a half months, after which he rejoined his 
regiment and was in the campaign under 
General Sheridan. He took part in many im- 
portant engagements, including the tettle of 
Winchester where Sheridan made his famous 
ride and rallied the Lhiion forces, the day which 
first threatened defeat ending in a glorious 
victory. He was also in the battle of Cedar 
Creek. 

Fdlluwing the war Mr. Castle remained upon 
the home farm until 1869, when he entered the 
Union school at Greenville. Michigan. A year 
later he engaged in teaching for one term and 
tlien resunied his studies in Union school, after 
which he again became an instructor. In 1871 
he ]iursued a classical course at L'nion school 
at .\nn .\r])or, Michigan, and in 1873 entered 
the law department of the State Laiiversity, 
from which he was graduated in the spring of 
1874, when twenty-eight years of age. He had 
to work his wa_\- thrr>ugh college, but he ever 
developed his latent talents and resources and 
(lis])la\ed the elemental strength of his char- 
acter. Following his graduation and his ad- 
mission to the bar he opened an office for prac- 
tice in 0\id. Michigan, where he continued 
until 1885. when he came to St. Johns and has 
since been a representative of the legal fra- 
ternity of this city. He has been connected 
wHth much important litigation tried in the 
courts of his district and is a busy lawyer. He 
is also interested in fanning and, having pur- 
chased the old homestead, is now the owner of 
a valuable farm property. 

In 1874 Mr. Castle was married to Miss 
.Mice E. Nicholas, a daughter of Professor 
I'enjamin E. Nichols, who is connected with 
the iniblic schools of Ann Arbor, Michigan. 
She is a lad\' of superior education and intel- 



J 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



205 



lectual attainnients and willi lier luisljand occu- 
pies an enviable position in social circles of St. 
Johns. They have one son, Earl W. Castle, 
who for three years was engaged in teaching 
at Bessemer, Michigan, and is now professor of 
mathematics at Wittenberg College, Springfield. 
Ohii\ Politically Mr. Castle is a Bryan 
democrat ;uid previous to the promulgation of 
his princiiiles liy the Nebraska statesman he 
ad\-ocated the platfonn of the greenback party. 
In llie fall of 1874 he was elected circuit court 
commissioner and has since held the office for 
four terms. In manner affable and obliging, 
ever considerate of the welfare of others, his 
personal characteristics have gained him a large 
circle of warm friends. 



DAVID S. FRENCH. 



David S. French, a well known represent- 
ative of republican circles in Clinton county and 
a representative of agricultural interests in 
Greenbu.sh township, was born in Lawrence- 
burg, Indiana, .\pril 4, 1844, his parents being 
Lewis and Maria ( Sargent) French, the former 
a native of Virginia, and the latter of Miami 
county, Ohio. David French became a student 
in the Woodward high school at Cincinnati 
but his education was abruptly ended by the out- 
break of the Civil war. He had watclied with 
interest the progress of events in the .south and 
resolved that if secession was attempted he 
would strike a blow in defense of the Union. 
Accordingly he left school to answer his coun- 
try's call to arms, enlisting as a private in the 
Second Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in which he 
served for three months. On the expiration of 
that period he re-enlisted as a private of the 
One Hundred and Tenth Ohio Infantr)^ and 
remained with that command until the close 
of the war. He participated in thirty-five dif- 
ferent engagements the more important of 
which were Winchester, Opequan. Strasljurg. 
Alltown. Kemstown, Cedar Creek, Fisher's 
Hill, Stanton, Monocacy, Harper's Ferr\', 
Gettysburg. Remi's Station, Manassas Gap, 



Culi)eper, Brandy Station, WikleiTiess, Cold 
Harbor, Petersburg, Richmond, Mine Run, 
Sailor's Creek and .\i)i>omattox, of which the 
latter was his last engagement. His regiment 
proceeded to W'ashington to lie mustered out, 
which event occurred on the 1st of July. 1865. 
After the battle of Opequan .Mr. l-Vench was 
made first lieutenant and held that rank through- 
out the remainder of the war. He seemed to 
bear a charmed existence for though he was 
often in the thickest of the fight where the 
leaden hail fell thickest he was never wounded. 
His regiment was attached to the Sixth Army 
Corps of the .\rmy of the Potomac. 

.\fter receixing his final discharge Lieuten- 
ant I'rench returned home and engaged in the 
lumber business in Pi(|ua, Ohio, until 187 1. 
In that vear he arrived in Clinton county and 
became connected with the St. Johns Manu- 
facturing Company, which association was 
maintained until June 15, 1899. During that 
time he ])urchased a farm on section 28, Green- 
bnsh townshii), on which he made his home, 
driving to his place of business each morning.^ 
The place consists of three hundred and twenty 
acres four miles from St. Johns. He has made 
nearly all of the improvements upon the farm 
and has now an excellent property, in the 
midst of which stands a beautiful home, taste- 
fully and richly funii.shed and supplied with 
all the comforts that go to make life worth 
living. 

On the 24th of May, 1866, Mr. French was 
married to Miss Camelia M. Mitchell, a daugh- 
ter of Joseph M. Mitchell, of Miami count)', 
Ohio. There were two children by this mar- 
riage, but Fanny died July 31, 1869, and Bes- 
sie L. passed away April iS. 1882. 

Mr. I'rench is one of the nvjst prominent 
re])resentatives of the republican party in Clin- 
ton county. In 1861 he experienced one of 
the proudest moments of his life when he had 
the honor of lieing one of the Cincinnati 
Zouaves v.ho were ajipointetl as personal escort 
to .\braham Lincoln as he passed through the 
streets of the city on his way to W'ashington 
to l)e inaugurated president of the United 
States. Mr. French has been called to various 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



206 
it- 
local offices of honor and public trust, serving; 
as mayor of St. Johns in 1876, 1877 and 1878 
and giving to the city a public-spirited ad- 
ministration characterized by the same fidelity, 
discrimination and devotion to his duties as in 
the conduct of his private business interests. 
On the 1st of January. 1897, Mr. French was 
elected county treasurer and was re-elected each 
year until January i, 1901. He has for many 
years l^een a member of the district school board 
and o\-er his official record there falls no 
shadow of wrong or suspicion of evil for his 
entire public service has been characterized by 
an unfaltering fidelity to the general good. He 
is a member of St. Johns lodge. No. 105, A. F. 
& A. M. : St. Johns chapter, No. 45, R. A. M. ; 
St. Johns commandery. No. 24, K. T. ; Moslem 
Tem]3le of the Mystic Shrine of Detroit and 
the Michigan Sovereign Consistoiy. He like- 
wise belongs to Charles E. Grisson post, No. 
156, G. .\. R., of St. Johns, of which he is 
past commander. Mr. French possesses the 
personal qualities that ha\e made him a suc- 
cessful business man and honored representative 
of fraternal interests and a leader in ])olitical 
circles. He lias been and is distinctively a man 
of affairs and one who has wielded a wide in- 
fluence. 



WINFIELD SCOTT DILLS. 

Winfield Scott Dills is known as one of the 
representati\e public men of Dewitt township, 
hax'ing resided in this county for more than 
a half century, winning prominence as 
the champion of many progressive move- 
ments that ha\e resulted beneficially for 
his locality. He was born in Oakland 
county, this state, January 30, 1847. His 
father, \\"illiam Dills, was a native of New 
York and is mentioned on another page of this 
work. The family was established in Oakland 
county at a very early i)eriod in its develop- 
ment and William Dills was married there to 
Maria Hilliker, a native of the Empire state. 
In 1852 he arrived in this county, settling in 
Olive township, where he purchased a tract of 



land and improved a farm. He afterward sold 
that place and now resides with a daughter in 
01i\e township. He still owns a forty-acre 
farm. 

\\'infield Scott Dills was reared in this 
county and began his education in the district 
schools of Olive township, continuing his 
studies in the public schools of Dewitt. No 
event of special importance occurred to vary the 
routine of fanii life for him in his youth and 
he assisted in cariying on the home place until 
thirtj'-one years of age. He was married in the 
village of Dewitt to Miss Ella Amelia Bowker, 
the wedding being celebrated February 20, 
1878. Mrs. Dills is a native of New York, as 
was her father, Albert Bowker, who in earh' 
manhood came west to Michigan, settling in 
.\ll)ion, where he was married, after which he 
returned to the Empire state. Again he came 
to Michigan in 1861. establishing his home in 
Isabelle county, while in 187 1 he came to Clin- 
ton county. Mr. and Mrs. Dills began their 
domestic life upon a farm in Dewitt township 
and to the cultivation of his land he devoted 
his energies for a number of years but in 1893 
purchased a lot and erected a good residence in 
the village where he now resides. He sold 
eighty- four acres of land on which is a sub- 
stantial dwelling and other improvements, mak- 
ing it a valuable place. He has always en- 
gaged in buying and dealing in horses since 
becoming a factor in business life and has been 
verv successful as a stock dealer and shipper. 
He is one of the directors and managers and 
also collector for the Grange Insurance Coni- 
panv and is acting on its auditing board. 

Mr. and Mrs. Dills have two sons: Winfield 
Scott, at home; and Clair B., a farmer of Olive 
township, who is married and has one son, 
Ernest Ray. In his political afiiliation the sub- 
ject of this review is a republican and was ap- 
pointed deputy sheriff for Dewitt, in which 
position he served for a time. He was also 
elected and served as jjathmaster and is now 
overseer of highways in Dewitt township, filling 
the last named office for more than seventeen 
years. He has likewise been a meniter of the 
school board for a numl^er of years and his 



% 




MR. AND MRS. W. S. DILLS. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



209 



interest in general progress and improvement is 
that of a pnhlic-spirited citizen, who never fails 
to give his co-operation to measures for the 
general good. He belongs to the Grange, in 
which he was one of the organizers. He has 
investeil in considerable real estate in Dewitt 
and now owns an attractive modern home. He 
is well known in Ljinsing and St. Johns and in 
Clinton and adjoining counties, and he and his 
estimable wife are held in high regard by all 
who know them. 



WILLIAM I. MOSS. 



William J. Moss, living on section 33, Essex 
township, owns the old Moss homestead farm 
of one hundred and thirty-five acres. It was 
upon this farm that he first opened his eyes to 
the light of day on the 31st of August. 1875. 
His father, W. j. Moss, Sr., was a native of 
the Empire state, born in Cayuga county, in 
1826. and a son of Solomon Moss, who was 
likewise a native of New York. The family 
comes of English ancestry and was established 
in the new world at an early jx^riod in its 
colonization, the first representatives of the 
name settling in Bedford. Massachusetts, in 
1668. Later generations of the family removed 
to the ]'jni)ire state, where Solomon Moss was 
Ixirn, reared and married. In 1840 he removed 
westward to Michigan and made a permruient 
location in the forests of Clinton county, where 
he entered a tract of land, from which he and 
his sons cleared away the timber and thus 
opened up a f;u-m. William Moss, Sr.. had fair 
common-school ad\antages in the Empire state 
and after coming to Clinton county engaged in 
teaching to some extent. He also assisted in the 
arduous ta.sk of developing a new farm and was 
familiar with the difticulties and hardships 
which confronted the early settlers in their en- 
deavors to reclaim this district for the purposes 
of civilization. He was married here to Miss 
Esther Ann Yound. a native of Pennsylvania 
and a daughter of Daniel Yound, who on leav- 
ing the Keystone state went to Ohio, whence he 



afterward came to Michigan, settling first in 
Ionia county. William Moss, Sr., continued 
his farming operations, built a good neat resi- 
dence and barn, and also added other equipments 
of a modern farm. Upon this place he reared 
his family and continued his residence up to the 
time of his death, which occurred May 18, 
1891. His widow, surviving him for more than 
ten years, passed away on the 12th of Septem- 
Ijer, [902. In their family were five children, 
of whom four are yet living, but the eldest, 
Qiarles, who was reared and married in Clin- 
ton county, died Februaiw 14. 1889, at the age 
of twenty-nine years. The others are as fol- 
lows: Kent, who is a farmer of Bengal town- 
ship; Solomon, of Dawson. Alaska; Sarah, the 
wife of Byron Parr, of St. Johns; and Wil- 
liam J. 

In taking up the personal history of William 
J. Moss \\e present to our readers the life record 
of one widely and favorably known in this 
county for he has spent his entire life here and 
has e\er commanded the esteem of those with 
whom he has been brought in contact. He was 
reared upon the old homestead farm and after 
acquiring his early education in the public 
schools continued his studies in St. Johns high 
school, from which he was graduated with the 
class of 1893. He then returned home and took 
charge of his father's farm and business. As 
the years have passed he has further improved 
the place and while he still occupies the old 
home he has added a good barn and fenced the 
land and has kept everything about the place 
in neat and thrifty condition, annually harvest- 
ing good crops, and he has also engaged in 
breeding and raising pure blooded Shorthorn 
cattle, being known as one of the leading stock- 
raisers of his locality. He makes a study of 
the rotation of the crops and the needs oi the 
farm, carries on his work along modern lines 
and is an active and interested member of a 
numlier of farmers' clubs, wherein is dissemi- 
nated a knowledge of the best methods of fami 
work gleaned from the experiences and experi- 
ments of people from all parts of the country. 

Mr. Moss was marrietl in the town of Essex, 
November 6, 1898. to Miss Nellie Parr, a na- 



2IO 



PAST AXD PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



tive of Clinton county and a daughter of Joseph 
Parr, a substantia] farmer of Essex townsliip. 
Mrs. Moss was liorn. reared and educated in 
this township and has made many friends dur- 
ing- her residence in this county. Fraternally 
Mr. ^loss is connected with Maple Rapids 
lodge, F. & .\. M.. and he and his wife belong 
to the Order of the Eastern Star. He votes 
with the democracy and was elected and ser\ed 
as supervisor for one term of Essex township, 
acting as a member of the drain, appropriation 
and other committees. His entire life has been 
passed upon the farm which is yet his home. The 
land was entered from the government by his 
grandfather. Solomon Moss, and the title has 
since passed from father to son. Mr. Moss of 
this review now holding the original patent 
signed by President James Monroe. He is well 
known in St. Johns and throughout the county. 
where he is regarded as a good business man 
and farmer. His interest in the welfare and 
progress of this part of the state is deep and 
sincere and his co-operati(^n has been given to 
nianv measures for the g-eueral g-ood. 



ADAM C. RUMBAUGH. 

Adam C. Rumbaugh. one of the thrifty and 
prosperous farmers of Clinton county, who also 
owns a well improved fami of eighty acres in 
Saginaw county and a neat little place of three 
acres in Elsie whereon stands his residence, has 
since 1879 made his home in Michigan. A 
native of Ohio, his birth occurred in Wayne 
county on the 20th of May, 1843. The ancestry 
of the family can be traced back to Germany, 
from which country there emigrated to the 
new world three brothers. Jacob, David and 
Solomon Rumbaugh. all of whom settled in 
Pennsylvania. Later Solomon removed to Vir- 
ginia and was killed there by the Indians prior 
to the Revolutionary war. David settled in 
Canada, while Jacob, the great-great-grand- 
father of .\dam C. Rumbaugh, took up his 
abode in New Jersey and later lived in Penn- 
svlvania. He was the father of twentv-one 



children, twenty of whom reached adult age. 
Isaac Rumbaugh was reared in Ohio, spending 
his youth largely in Wayne county. His father, 
Adam Rumbaugh. was one of the three first 
settlers of Chester township, that county, and 
upon the old homestead there Isaac Rumbaugh 
was reared. His wife. Mary Rumbaugh. was 
a native of Pennsylvania, but spent her girlhood 
largely in Ohio. She was a daughter of Daniel 
Rumbaugh and the two families were distantly 
related. The children of Isaac and Mary 
Rumljaugh were fi\-e in number, of whom four 
are living: Susan, the wife of \\'ilson Clemens, 
of Altamont. Illinois: Daniel, who is living at 
Qiicago Junction, Ohio: Adam C, of this re- 
view; and Elizabeth, the wife of Freeman 
Hoch, of Homen'ille. Medina county. Ohio. 
After losing his first wife the father married 
again. 

.\dam C. Rumbaugh. whose name introduces 
this record, spent the days of his childhood and 
youth in Wavne county, Ohio, and was a 
student in the ])uhlic schools until he had largely 
mastered the Ijranches of learning therein 
taught. He was a vouth of nineteen years when 
he resixDuded to the country's call for aid. en- 
listing on the 13th of August. 1862, as a mem- 
ber of Company E, One Hundred and 
Twentieth Ohio Infantry. The regiment was 
assigned to the western department and the first 
battle in which he partici])ate(l was at Cham- 
pion 1 till. Later he was in the siege of Vicks- 
burg and was present at its surrender. He also 
aided in the re-capture of Jack.son. in the battle 
of Arkansas Post, and did active service in 
Texas and Louisiana along the Red river and 
in the battle of Fort Blakely. For about two 
months he was in the convalescent camp at New 
Orleans and served until the close of the war, 
when he was honorably discharged and mus- 
tered out at Houston, Texas, on the 14th of 
October. iSfi^. He made a creditable military 
record, for he ne\-er faltered in the performance 
of any duty whether it called him into the thick- 
est of the fight or stationed him on the lonely 
picket line. When the war was over he re- 
turned to his home in Ohio and was engaged in 
the operation of the old homestead farm there 
for three vears. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



211 



On llie expiration of that period Mr. Runi- 
lianj;!) was married on the j8th of December, 
1869. to Miss Catherine Shank, whose birth 
occiu-red in Wayne connty. Ohio. Iter father, 
Daniel Shank, being- one of the early settlers of 
the state. The young couple began their 
domestic life upon a rented farm, where they 
lived for two years, and then in 1S71 removed 
to Illinois, settling in EfHngham county near 
Altamont. There Mr. Rumbaufih again rented 
land for three vears. after which he returned to 
Wayne county, Ohio, and was engaged in farm- 
ing in .\shland and Wavne counties for four 
years. In 1S79 he came to Michigan, settling 
lirst at (.'hapin, Saginaw count \', where he pur- 
chased forty acres of land in the midst of the 
forest. Here he cleared and developed a farm 
and Later he bought fort\- acres more, thus be- 
coming owner of a good place of eighty acres, 
lie erected thereon a substantial, dwelling, good 
b;irns and outbuildings and continued in the 
work of im])rovement and cultivation until he 
had dexeloped a \alnable farm pn>i)erty which 
annualK returned to him a gratifying income 
for the labor which he bestowed uiK)n it. There 
he successfully carried on general agricultural 
])ursuits until i(>oj. when he rented his land and 
bought three acres adjoining Fdsie. He built 
thereon a good residence and now has an at- 
tractive home, giving his time to keeping up this 
property. Mr. Rumbaugh started out in life 
with no capital save a strong determination to 
win success if it could ]ye accomplished through 
honorable eft'ort and to-flay he is one of the sub- 
stantial residents of this part of the state. 

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Rumbaugh have been 
bom four children : Burtice, who married 
Sophia O'Hare and is carrying on the home 
farm: and Martha E.. who makes her home 
with her jxirents. Those deceased are Chal- 
iriers and Lorinda. 

In politics Mr. Rumbaugh was formerly a 
democrat but is now identified with the repub- 
lican party, having voted for Presidents Mc- 
Kinley and Roosevelt. In Saginaw he was 
elected township treasurer, in which capacity he 
served for five years, was clerk one year and 
justice of the peace one year. He was ap- 



|Kiinled justice of the peace to fill out a vacancy 
.md was on the school board for twenty-one 
consecutive years, or until his removal to Elsie. 
l'"raternally he is connected with the Chapin 
lodge of Odd I-'ellows. His life has been an 
honorable and upright one. in which he has 
given due attention to the \aried duties that 
have devolved upon him in his relations to his 
business interests, his fellowmen, the community 
and the country at large. Ever loyal to any 
public or prixate trust, he has gained and re- 
tained tlie friendshi]) and regard of those with 
whom he has been associated. 



R. H. MOOTS. 



R. H. Moots, living on section 29, Dewitt 
townshi]), is a prosi:)erous and proiuinent farmer 
and stock-raiser, having one hundred and sixty 
acres of land, which constitutes a valuable farm 
propertv. He is a native son of Michigan, his 
birth hax'ing occurred in Ingham county on the 
14th of May, 1838. ?iis father. Henry Moots, 
was l)orn in the city of Berlin, Germany, in 
1S2C1 and grew to manhoofl in his native 
couutrv, after which he emigrated to the new 
world with his mother and her family in 1850. 
They came direct to Michigan, settling at 
I^ansing, Ingham county. In early life Mr. 
Moots learned the trade of a carpenter and 
joiner and later became a contractor and builder 
of Lansing, erecting the old Union school and 
other public buildings there. He was married 
in Lansing to Christiana Leadley, who was bom 
in Wurtemberg, Germany, and in 1863 he came 
with his family to Clinton county, purchasing 
two hundred acres of land near Dewitt. He 
then located on this tract and engaged in farm- 
ing, further improving the property up to tlie 
time of his death, which occurred in July, 1894. 
His wife still survives him and is now living 
with a daughter at I>ansing. In their family 
were two sons and five daughters, all of whom 
are yet living. 

R. H. Moots has spent the greater part of his 
life in Clinton county, having been reared upon 



212 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



the old family homestead here, while his edu- 
cation was acquired in the schools of Devvitt. 
He remained with his father on the old home- 
stead until twenty-seven years of age, when he 
went to Lansing, where he was employed in a 
meat market for about a year. In 1886 he 
purchased a farm of eighty acres in Dewitt 
township and settled thereon, giving his time 
and energies to the tilling of the soil and the 
raising of crops. He resided there until 1901, 
when he sold that proi^erty and bought one 
hundred and sixty acres on section 29, Dewitt 
township, where he now resides. This has good 
buildings and modern equipments and in fact 
is one of the best improved places in the town- 
sliip and in connection with the cultivation of 
the cereals best adapted to soil and climate Mr. 
I\Ioots is successfully engaged in raising, feed- 
ing and shipping stock, being one of the most 
prosperous representatives of this line of busi- 
ness in the township. 

On the iqth of November, 1890, in Water- 
town, Clinton county, R. H. Moots was mar- 
ried to Miss Nora Reeves, a native of Clinton 
county, reared and educated here, and a daugh- 
ter of Thomas Reeves, who was a native of 
England. Mr. and Mrs. Moots have two chil- 
dren, Helene and Leadley. Politically Mr. 
Moots is a stanch republican but was reared in 
the faith of the democratic party. He has never 
sought or desired office, however, but has given 
his time and attention to his business interests. 
Fraternally he is a Master Mason, his affiliation 
l)eing with the blue lodge at Dewitt. 



JOHN M. KOSHT. 



The farming interests of Ovid township are 
well represented by John M. Kosht, now liv- 
ing on section 21, where he has a good fanu. 
well improved and highly developed. He is a 
native of Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, born 
October 29, 1830. His parents, George and 
Polly (Miller) Kosht, were also natives of the 
Keystone state and after their marriage re- 
moved to Ohio, while subsequently they came 



to Michigan about 1858, settling in Ovid town- 
.shij), Clinton county. The father purchased 
land on section 29 but eventually sold this and 
purchased a second farm on section 28, where 
he spent his remaining days, passing away at 
the venerable age of eighty years. His wife 
died when their son John was a youth of four- 
teen and left three children, the others being 
Eliza, now the deceased wife of John Hed- 
dinger, of Ovid township : and Mrs. Sarah 
Walters, of Pennsylvania. 

John M. Kosht had l)ut limited educational 
privileges but to some extent attended school in 
his youth and throughout the remainder of the 
year worked upon the home farm. Later he 
was employed as a farm hand in the neighbor- 
hood, working Iw the month for seven dollars 
and a half per month. He later learned the 
cooper's trade, which he followed after his 
removal to Michigan in 1854. Subse(]uent to 
his arrival in this state he first lived with his 
brother-in-la\\-. and in 1856 he took up his 
abode on his present farm on section 21, Ovid 
township, where he at first purchased fifteen 
acres. This land he cleared and later he added 
to it forty acres. His original log cabin was 
erected in 1856 and continued to l^e his place of 
abode until 1887. when he built a new house. 
He also built good bams in 1879 and 1900 and 
now has a well impro\-ed propert)\ on which 
the work of improvement has been steadily car- 
ried on. 

Li 1854 Mr. Kosht was united in marriage 
to Miss Sophia Heddinger, a daughter of 
Phillip Heddinger, of Ovid township. Eleven 
children have been bom of this union : Viola, 
the widow of E. L. Kindreck; Adelaide, the 
wife of Henry Gardner, of Saranac count)', 
Michigan; Aaron, a resident farmer of Ovid 
township; Emma, the wife of Emerson Yerick, 
who is also living in Ovid township; Estella, 
the wife of William Van Orsdale, of the same 
township; Milton, upon the home farm; Clara, 
the wife of Oliver Fi.sh, of Greenbu.sh town- 
ship; Delia, the wife of Willis Dennis, of 
Seneca Falls. New York; Martha, the wife of 
Israel Taft, of Ovid township; Omn*' and 
Lewis E., both at home. 




T. xM. KOSHT 



PAST AXD PRFSKNT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



2i: 



Mr. Ko.slit is a (leini)ciat wliorc nalioTial 
issues are invohed liut at lucal elections be- 
lieves in \oting tor the l)est candidate resfard- 
less of party alTiiiation. He lias l)cen a i)ronii- 
nent nienilier of the L'niteil P>rethren church for 
the past thirty years and has served as trustee 
since 1S79. llis wife is also a nicniher of the 
same church. He ]Kissesses many excellent 
traits, is a man of high luoral character, know n 
tliroughout the community as a kind neigh- 
Ixir, a good citizen and a trustwurthx' business 
man. 



W ILLI.V.M I-:. H.\.MlLTOX. 

\\ illiam E. Hamilton, one of the prominent 
memliers of the Grand .\rmy of the Repulilic in 
Micliigan. with an acquaintance that e.xtends 
throughout the state, and now conchicting a 
general insurance business in St. Joims, is a 
native of Grand Blanc, Michigan, Ijorn Septem- 
ber 14. 1844. His parents were Thomas J. and 
Fliza T. (Pettis) Hamilton, the former a na- 
tive of Massachusetts and tlie latter of Con- 
necticut. Little is known concerning the an- 
cestral history of the father's family. Thomas 
Hamilton, losing his mother when onlv three 
years of age, went to li\e with an aunt in 
Ogdensburg, New 'S'ork. when .seven years of 
age, and he spent a part of his early life in 
Peml)roke, New York, where he was engaged 
in the milling business. He was married in 
February, i8_^7, to Fliza T. Pettis, who be- 
longed to an old ^Lassachusetts family and was 
a descendant of Thomas Hyde, one of the Pil- 
grims of 1620. .\fter his marriage Mr. Hamil- 
ton removed to Grand Blanc, Michigan, where 
he resided imtil he became a resident of Iowa 
in iHC)(j. His death occurref! in the latter state 
when he was fifty-nine years of age, and his 
wife (lied in St. Johns at the age of sixty-five 
years. They were the [parents of five children : 
George I., of Iowa ; .Vnsel, of Grand Blanc, who 
died in the army; Giarles P.. of Maple Rapids: 
William F., of this review, who is the only one 
now living, and Eliott .\., who was a professor 
in an Iowa college at the time of his death. 
•4 



\\ illiam ]•.. Hamilton pursued his education 
in the public .schools of bis native city and in 
Mint. .Michigan. Resjionding to his countrv's 
call in iSfij, be became a member of Company 
( i, i'jgbtb .Michigan \'olunteer Infanln-, being 
mustered in on the 14th of August of that year 
and mustered out on the 1 >t of June, 1865. He 
joined the armv as a private and was afterward 
made corjioral. He participated in the engage- 
ments of AiUietJim. l'"redericksburg. X'icksburg, 
the siege of l\.n(]xville, the battle of the Wilder- 
ness, Sixittsvlvania and many others and in the 
latter part of the war continued in the siege of 
Petersburg until the close of hostilities. He was 
wounded in the right knee at the battle of the 
Wilderness and was knocked down and hit in 
the right hip at Cold Harbor. Since the or- 
ganization of the Grand .\rmy of the Rejiublic 
Mr. Hamilton has been ven- prominent in its 
circles anrl was assistant adjutant of Michigan 
in 1895. He held membershi]i in C. F. (irisson 
Post, No. 156, until i</^(), when he became 
commander of R. G. Hutchinson Post at Fow- 
ler, which position he still fills. He had been 
commander of Grisson Post in 1887 and he or- 
ganized from that i>ist a comixiny of Zouaves 
which were uniform and won all of the prizes 
given at the reunions u]) to 1895. Mr. Hamil- 
ton has done effective .service in behalf of his 
old army comrades and has a dee]) interest in 
their welfare. 

b'ollowing his return frfim the war. Mr. 
Hamilton began work at the trade of a carpen- 
ter and builder, which he followed until 1867. 
after which be spent six years at farming in 
Dallas county, Iowa. In the fall of 1873, how- 
ever, he returned to Michigan, settling in Liv- 
ingston county, where he sjient two years. He 
was afterward in Maple Rajjids, where he con- 
ducted the Union House for two vears, and in 
1 88 J he came to St. Johns, where he was en- 
gagcfl in building operations for fifteen vears. 
Since 1897 his attention has been given to the 
general insurance business, in which he still con- 
tinues with a gratifying patronage. 

On the 4th of July, 1866, Mr. Hamilton was 
married to Miss Juliette Townsend, of Grand 
Blanc, Michigan, who died Januarv r, 1879. 



2l6 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



On the 5th of Marcli, i&S^, he married Amanda 
Baker, of St. Johns, who died April i, 1900, 
and his present wife was formerly Cora A. 
Rogers, of Muskegon. jMichigan, the date of 
their marriage being July 17, 1901. 

Mr. Hamilton is a stalwart republican and 
has served as village trustee for two years. He 
belongs to the .\ncient Order of United Work- 
men. He is a man of fine military bearing 
and stands as a splendid type of that great army 
which preserved the Union in the hour of our 
country's peril. 



F. M. PIGGOTT. 



F. M. Piggott, whose home is on section 25, 
Lebanon township, is classed with the substan- 
tial farmers and stock raisers, breeders and deal- 
ers of Clinton county. He has become well 
known as a dealer in Shorthorn cattle, Poland 
China hogs and Merino sheep, while his farm 
embraces four hundred and twenty-five acres 
and in its neat appearance indicates his careful 
supervision. It was upon this farm that Mr. 
Piggott was born July 10, 1864. His father, 
Charles Piggott, was a native of England, born 
in the city of London in 1829, and in the 
vicinity of the metropolis his youth was passed 
on a farm, where he took up his abode when a 
lad of six summers. He came to the new world 
in 1849, when a young man of twenty years and 
spent a few years on a farm near Rochester, 
New York. In that locality he was married 
and in 1852 he came to Michigan, settling in 
Lebanon township, Clinton county, purchasing- 
sixty acres of land that constituted the nucleus 
of the farm upon which our subject now re- 
sides. The father met the usual experiences of 
pioneer life, for his land was a timtered tract 
which it was necessary for him to clear be- 
fore he could cultivate the fields. He built a log 
house and then began the active work of pre- 
paring the land for the plow. As his financial 
resources increased he added to his property 
from time to time until he owned three hundred 
acres, constituting a valuable farm. He built 



a good house, also erected several small build- 
ings and a bam, planted an orchard and made 
other modern improvements. It was after his 
removal to Michigan that Mr. Piggott was 
married a second time in Calhoun county, the 
lady of his choice being Bridget Kearney, who 
became the mother of F. M. Piggott of this re- 
view. The father continued to reside upon the 
old homestead here until his deadi, which oc- 
curred December 2"]. 1888, and his widow yet 
resides upon the farm. 

F. M. Piggott is the younger of two sons, 
his brother Leonard being a substantial fanner 
of Lebanon township. The youth of F. M. 
Piggott was passed upon the farm and he was 
educated in the common schools and in the 
high school of Maple Rapids. He continued 
with his father on the old home place and after 
putting aside his text-books took charge of the 
farm. He has since remodeled and rebuilt the 
house, has also built a large barn and has added 
modern equipments, including the latest im- 
proved machinery. He owns one hundred and 
fort}' acres of the old homestead, to whicli he 
has added until he now has four hundred and 
twenty-five acres in one body. Here he has a 
good gasoline engine and well pump. He en- 
gages in raising Shorthorn cattle and owns a 
fine registered herd. He has likewise engaged 
in breeding and raising Poland China hogs for 
seventeen years and in this connection has be- 
come well known, making shipments all over 
the lower peninsula of Michigan. He likewise 
has Merino sheep and good grades of horses on 
his place and he is thoroughly familiar with the 
test points of good stock and is seldom, if ever, 
at fault in his judgment concerning the value 
of farm animals. This department of his busi- 
ness has proved \tr\ profitable and is a source 
of excellent income to Mr. Piggott. 

On the 9th of Novemljer, 1886, in Ionia 
county, Michigan, Mr. Piggott was united in 
marriage to Miss Sarah Lawless, a native of 
Portland township, Ionia county. She was 
reared and educated in Chatham and is a 
daughter of Nicholas Lawless, who removed 
from New York to Ionia county. Seven chil- 
dren graced this marriage : Margaret, a gradu- 



I 





MR. AND MRS. F. M. PIGGOTT. 



IWST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



219 



ate (jf llic ciiuiily iiuniKil schodl ;in<i imw a suc- 
cessful teacher; Agnes, a student in St. Julius: 
Clarence j.: William J.: RKira : ix-nnard: and 
v. Marion. 

Tlic parents are nienil)ers of tlie Catholic 
church, having heen reared in that faith, to 
which they have since helonged. Mr, Piggott 
is connected with the Knights of the Maccabees 
and with the l-"annei\s" Mutual Insurance Com- 
pany of Clinton and Cratiot counties, of which 
lie has served as agent and collector for seven- 
teen years, lie is also a memher of Esse.x 
(irange and the Lebanon harmers' Club, of 
which he has lieen |)resident several terms and 
also a delegate to Lansing. He has always voted 
with the democracv and was elected and .served 
for two terms as township treasurer, has al.so 
been school inspector and supervisor and for 
one year served as a memlier of the honorary 
county Ixiard. during which time he was on the 
equalization committee. He has been a delegate 
to the state and county conventions and also a 
member of the town and county committees of 
the democracy. He favors progress along intel- 
lectual, political, material and moral lines and 
has done his full share in promoting public 
progress as well as in advancing his individual 
prosperity. His business affairs have been 
honorably and capably conducted and he is one 
of the valued native sons of the county, having 
spent his entire life on the farm which is yet 
his home. 



III"..\RN' I'AI.MF.K. M. I). 

Dr. Henry Palmer, engaged in the practice 
of medicine with diseases of the eye as a 
specialty, is a native of Lockport. Niagara 
county. New York. l)oni l""el)ruary 22, 1857. 
His father. George Palmer, was a native of 
Cambridgeshire. England, in vvhicli countn- 
his parents were farming" people. He. too, l)e- 
came a farmer in his native land, where he re- 
sided until 1S55. when he sought a home in 
the new world, settling in Lickjxirt. Xew ^'ork, 
where he carried on agricultural pursuits for 



nine years. lie came to Michigan in 1864 
and purchased eighty acres of land near St. 
Johns, l^oon afterward he brought his family 
to the new home which he had prepared in 
fireenbush township and thmugliout his re- 
maining days he carried on agricultural pur- 
suits here. He passed away in 1875. respected 
by .all who knew In'ni. His wife. Mrs. Sarah 
(Johnson) Palmer, was also a native of V^g- 
land and survived him until 1882. when she, 
too, passed awav on the old homestead. They 
were the parents of four children. 

Dr. Palmer, the youngest of the family, was 
reared in Lockport. whence he came to Clinton 
county ill 1864 and here he renmined until he 
reacliecl the age of sixteen ve;n"s. He then be- 
gan work by the month as a farm hand and 
the following year he became a student in the 
high school at St. Johns, paying his tuition for 
he was not a resident of the town. Ambitious 
to acfpiire an education that would well qualify 
him for life's practical and resijonsible duties, in 
1876 he entered the .\gricultural College at 
Lansing and pursued a course of study there 
])reparatory to entering upon the study of inedi- 
cine. He completed five years' work in three 
years time and met the exjxnses of his college 
work by teaching. He afterward spent two 
years in the west as ;i civil engineer, being em- 
ployed for one year in L'tah on the Denver & 
Rio Grande Railroad, after which he went to 
Oregon and for a year was a civil engineer in 
the service of the Oregon Short Line Railroad. 
Returning to St. Johns in the spring of 1883, 
he soon afterward entered the University of 
Michigan as a student in the department of 
])harmacy and won his degree upon his gradu- 
ation in the class of 1885. He next entered 
the junior class in the medical depjirtment. from 
which he was graduated in the spring of 1887 
with the degree of Dcxrtor of Meilicine. 

He then located permanently in St. Johns, 
where he has worked his way steadily upward 
.and now has a practice covering several coun- 
ties. His general practice in medicine and sur- 
ger\- has been very large and he has also made 
a specialtv of the treatment of diseases of the 
eve. in which he is verv successful. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



220 

In 1887 Dr. Palmer was married to Miss 
Lucy Perrin, a (laughter of the late H. M. Per- 
rin. She was educated in this city, completing 
a high-school course and is a lady of natural 
culture and refinement. Dr. and Mrs. Palmer 
have but one daughter, Ruth E. Dr. Palmer is 
an active and enthusiastic republican and is a 
member of several civic societies. He likewi.se 
belongs to the State Phariuaceutical As.sociation 
and is a ])rominent member (if the State Medical 
Society, while in the County Medical Society 
he has served as .secretarv. His membership 
in these organizations keeps him in touch with 
the advanced thought of the profession and the 
onward march of the medical fraternity and he 
is ever an interested student of all that tends to 
bring to man the key to the complex mystery 
which we call life. By investigation and read- 
ing he has continually promoted his knowledge 
and efficiency and his careful diagnosis of a 
case enables him to determine with accuracy the 
outcome of disease. 



MILLARD P. SLEIGHT. 

Millard P. Sleight, actively engaged in farm- 
ing uix)n a tract of land of one hundred and 
sixty acres on sections 5 and 6, Bath township, 
was born upon this farm, which is therefore 
endeared to him through the associations of his 
youth as well as those of later manhood, his 
natal day being November 3, 1871. His father, 
Job Sleight, was a native of New York, his 
birth ha\ing occurred in Dutchess county in 
1847. His father, Peter Sleight, was also a na- 
tive of Dutchess county and in the year 1861 
came to the west, settling in Clinton county, 
Michigan, where he purchased land. Job Sleight 
arrived in this county when a youth of fourteen 
years and was here reared to manhood. After at- 
taining his majority he sought a companion 
and helpmate on life's journey, wedding Miss 
Frances Morgan, whose birth occurred in 
Washtenaw county, Alichigan. Previous to his 
marriage Mr. Sleight had purchased two hun- 
dred and fort\- acres of land which he began 



to clear and improve and to this farm he took 
his bride and with the further impetus of hav- 
ing a wife for whom to pro\i<le he applied him- 
self diligently to the work of clearing and culti- 
vating his fields. His original pioneer home 
was afterward replaced by an attractive brick 
residence, in the rear of which he built good 
barns and outbuildings. Here he continued to 
carry on general agricultural pursuits until 
189 1, when he sold eighty acres of the land to 
his son Millard and eighty acres to his daugh- 
ter, Mrs. George Hart. He then removed to 
Alma. Gratiot count)-, where he tought a farm, 
comprising one hundred and fifty acres of very 
valuable and well improved land, and he is now 
one of the prominent and substantial agri- 
culturists of that portion of the state. 

Millard P. Sleight was reared to manhood in 
Bath township on the old home farm and in 
his boyhood days trudged morning and evening 
to the district schools, mastering therein the 
common branches of learning. In the periods 
of vacation he worked in the fields, aiding his 
father in clearing and cultivating the land. 

On the 29th of June, 1S95, .Millard P. 
Sleight was married to Miss Edith Wildt, who 
w'as a native of this county and a daughter of 
Charles Wildt, of Dewitt, who died in the 
village in 1900. Mr. and Airs. Sleight began 
their domestic life upon the old homestead fann, 
Mr. Sleight operating his own tract of eighty 
acres also the eighty acres belonging to his sis- 
ter and the eighty acres Ijelonging to his father, 
his attention therefore being claimed by the im- 
provement of a farm of two hundred and forty 
acres. He is industrious, energetically taking 
up each duty that comes to him and keeping his 
place in first class condition. The home has 
been blessed with three children but they lost 
their first born, Ford, when he was thirteen 
months old. The others are Beatrice and Ralph. 

Politically Mr. Sleight is a stanch repul> 
lican, never wavering in his support of the 
party yet never active as an office seeker. He 
was elected, however, and is now serving as 
township treasurer. His entire life has been 
passed on this one farm and for thirty-four 
years he has lieen a w itness of the development 



II 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



221 



of L'linton c< unity, where he is known as a man 
of Inisiness integrity and wnrlh. havinf,'- the con- 
fidence and esteem nf the entire comnuinitv. 



L. B. i:)OWNIE. 



L. B. Downie. for twenty-five years engaged 
in tlie hanhvare business in Elsie, has the ciiiali- 
fications so necessary to commercial success — 
re:idy adaptability, close application and un- 
dagging enterprise. Moreover he finds time to 
faithfully perform the duties of citizen.ship and 
has done much to further interests which have 
for their motive the u])l)uilding and de\elopment 
of the city. 

Mr. Downie is a native of Cuyahoga county. 
Ohio, horn January 31. 1847. His father, 
David L. Downie, was a native of New York, 
born in 181 4. and became a fanner in that state, 
but later removed to Cuyahoga county, Ohio, 
while sub.sequently he owned and operated a 
farm in I_x)rain county, Ohio. On coming to 
Michigan he settled on a farm in Duplain town- 
.ship, Clinton county, where he spent his last 
years, passing away about 1875. His wife sur- 
vived him for some time, reaching the age of 
seventy-one years. 

On the home farm in Lorain county, Ohio, 
L. B. Downie was reareil, remaining with his 
father until sixteen years of age, when he 
started out in life on his own account. In the 
fall of 1864 he came to Clinton county, Michi- 
gan, and was afterward employed in a lumber 
camp in the pine woods, at any work that came 
to hand. Subsequently he engaged in the meat 
business at Elsie, conducting a market for about 
a year and ;i half. .-\t a later date he returned 
to Ohio and l)ecame connected with commercial 
pursuits in Lorain county, where he o])ened up 
a line of dry gaods and general merchandise. 
He also .served as postmaster for three and a 
half years under Rutherford B. LLayes. while 
his identification with commercial pursuits 
covered four and a half years. He then sold 
out and removed to St. Johns, where he was 
engaged in the grocery business tor seven 



months, and in 1881 lie returned to Elsie, where 
he liegan dealing in hardware and implements 
on a small scale. However, he has increased 
his stock from year to year, as the trade has 
demanded and he now has a large stock of shelf 
and heavy hardware and implements, his busi- 
ness having liecoiiic ipiite extensive. It is care- 
full\- managed with due regard to the service 
he can render his ])atroiis and also to the profits 
which are ju.stly his. He has purchased good 
business projierty, and his store and realty in- 
terests in Elsie are the visible evidence of his 
life of well directed and successful activity. 

Mr. ! )ownie was married in Elsie, in Novem- 
ber, 18(14. to Miss ."Mmena P. Fowler, who was 
liom and reared in Delaware county. Ohio, a 
daughter of Jacob Fowler, who was a native 
of New York, born on the Susquehanna river. 
He was reared in Delaware county, Oiiio, and 
was married there to Miss Emily Ryle, a na- 
tive of Ijirain county, that state. Mr. and Mrs. 
Downie have become the parents of four chil- 
dren : Nellie AL. who is the wife of Uriah 
I'erguson, of Elsie, and has one son; .Anna L., 
who died in 1876; Ray L., who assists his 
f.ither in the store and is the owner of a good 
residence here ; and Marium E.. at home. 

In the community affairs Mr. Downie figures 
([uite jiromincntly. taking an active interest in 
material, social and political progress and with- 
holdi^lg his sup]3ort from no practical movement 
aking thfise lines. He has always been a stanch 
champion of republican princi])les and although 
never an active politician in the .sense of ofiice- 
.seeking, he has nevertheless lieen aalled to public 
office by his fellow townsmen, serving in the 
village council for six years and as treasurer of 
the village for one term. His wife lielongs to 
the Methodist Episcopal church, and he has 
memlier.ship relations with the Odd Fellows, 
having been initiated into the fraternity in Ohio, 
while his membership is now with Elsie lodge. 
He filled all the chairs in Ohio and is a past 
grand, and his wife is identified with the Re- 
bekah lodge. Mr. Downie al.so affiliates with 
the Maccabees. He is thoroughly identified 
with die interests of Elsie and her people and 
is recognized throughout the community as a 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



mail of g"oO(l business ability, nt exemplary 
habits and of sterling character an<I wDrth. He 
is much esteemed in the community and well 
merits the high |XJsition in public regard which 
Js uniformly tendered him. 



VARXEY PEARCE. 



\^irney Pearce, li\ing in Dewitt, is a well 
knnwn resident of the county, who is now re- 
tired in the enjoyment of the fruits of long 
labor in former years. He is likewise num- 
bered among the pioneer settlers of Clinton 
county, dating his residence here from 1864. 
A native of Ohio, he was born in Huron county 
on the loth of b^ebruary, 1832. his fadier being 
Varney Pearce, Sr.. who was a native of Mas- 
sachusetts, in which state he was reared to man- 
hood. He was also married there and after- 
ward removed to the west, casting in his lot 
with the pioneer settlers of Ohio. His second 
wife, whom be wedded in the lUickeye state, 
bore the maiden name of Man- Roscoe. His 
wife survived him and reared her family of 
children and was also a second time married. 

Vamey Pearce of this review spent the days 
of his toyhood and youth upon the home farm 
in Huron county, Ohio, where he acquired his 
])rimary education. His knowdedge, however, 
has been largel)' self-acquired through ex- 
perience, observation and reading and to-day he 
is a well informed man. From early youth he 
has been dependent upon his own efforts and 
has e\er manifested a self-reliant, earnest and 
indefatigable s])irit which has enabled him to 
overcome difficulties and obstacles and work his 
way steadily upward to success. He was em- 
ployed as a farm hand by the month for si.x- 
teen years and after the death of his stepfather 
he resided with iiis mother and carried on the 
old home farm. In 1864 he came west, settling 
in Michigan. He found friends in this county, 
which he had previously \isited in 1854 and to 
which he had returned in 1858, at that time 
])urchasing the farm upon which he took up his 
abode in 1864. He first located in Dewitt town- 



ship, where he carried on agricultural pursuits 
for a year, after which he sold out and en- 
gaged in the manufacture of lumber. He 
bought an interest in a saw mill and was con- 
nected with its operation for five years. During 
that period he aLso invested in land in Olive 
township and in \Yatertown and, locating on 
the former tract of land, he there cultivated 
and inipnixed bis property comprising two 
hundred and twenty acres. He erected a large, 
neat lirick residence, a commodious barn, a gran- 
ary and other outbuildings and his place be- 
came \ery \aluable because of its modern 
ec|uipments and the able manner in which he 
carried on the work. He did Ixith farming and 
stock raising and was thus engaged until 1904, 
when he erected a neat residence in Dewitt and 
took up his abode in the town, where he is now 
lixing retired. 

-Mr. Pearce was united in marriage in St. 
Johns. April iS, 1872, to Miss Charity L. Van 
Dyke, a native of Clinton county, Michigan, 
Ixirn in the town of Riley. June 28. 1848. 
Her father, William \'an Dyke, came from 
Xew York to Michig-an at a very early period 
in the impro\-ement of Clinton county. In his 
famil\- were nine children, of whom seven 
reacheil iiianh(M)d and womanhod, and those still 
living are Mrs. M. J. Smith, Mrs. William H. 
H. Knapp, George H. Van Dyke, Mrs. Sarah 
Obeny and Mrs. Charity L. Pearce. Two of 
the sons were in the Union army during the 
Civil war, James M. being a memljer of Com- 
])an\- L. b'irst L'nited States Cavahw. He was 
killed while on his hor.se, September 19, 1864, 
the morning Sheridan made his famous twenty- 
mile ride, .\nother .son, William L.. was first 
a member of the Third Michigan Cavalry and 
later the Tenth Michigan Cavahy. remaining 
in the service until the close of the \\ar. lie is 
now deceased. 

Mr. and Mrs. Pearce are the parents of three 
cbildrai. .\lta is now the wife of Fenton 
Brink, of Watertown. and the}- have one child. 
Josephine, who is two and a half years of age. 
Josephine, the second daughter of our subject, 
is the wife of Fred Tucker, who now owns 
and operates the nld Tucker homestead oi one 



I 



il 




VARNEV PEARCE. 




MRS. \ARXEV I'F.ARCE. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



22J 



hundred and forty acres in Dewitl townsliii). 
Varney D. Pearce. tiie only son, is an active 
and successful agriculturist living on the old 
home farm. He married (lertrude I*'aton. of 
this county. 

Prior to her marriage Mrs. I'earce success- 
fully engaged in teaching school for four years 
and at times walked two miles to school an<l 
then had to build her own tire. She is one of 
the most prominent and inthiential women in 
her community, having served as lecturer of 
Dewitt Grange. Xo. 459. for nine years and of 
Pomona (irange, Xo. 25. for eleven. She is 
filling the latter position at the present time 
and is also .secretary of the Clinton County 
Pioneer Society in her sixth year and is rei)re- 
senting this county in the State Pioneer .\sso- 
ciation as vice president. Both Mr. and Mrs. 
Pearce have taken all of the seven degrees in 
the Grange and are meml)ers of the I'niversalist 
church, in which faith they were reared. 

Politically Mr. Ir'earce was a democrat for 
a number of \ears but is now independent, vot- 
ing without regard to party ties. He has been 
a resident <if Clinton county for forty -one years, 
during which time he has witnessed the greater 
part of its growth, aiding himself in felling 
forests, in subduing the virgin .soil and in pro- 
ducing the present advanced state of progressive 
agriculture. He endured the hardships and 
privations of frontier life without a murmur in 
order that he might found a home here and now 
in the eventide of life he is enabled to enjoy 
the comforts, conveniences and many of the 
luxuries that go to make life worth the living. 



SAMUEL BOND. 



Samuel Bond, who is following farming in 
a practical, progressive and profitable manner 
on .section 25. Greenbush township, where a 
productive tract of land of two hundred and 
twenty acres annually retiuMis him a gratifying 
income, w'as Ixjrn in Somersetshire, England, 
on the J3th of Novemljer, 1853. He sjjent the 
first twentv vears of his life in that country 



and tiu-n in ciiin|)any with his brother, Charles 
l!ond, .souglii a home in the new world, believ- 
ing that better business opportunities might be 
enjoyed on this side of the water. They made 
their way direct to Clinton county, Michigan, 
settling in Duplain township. Samuel Bond 
worked by the month in Clinton and Oakland 
counties, and carefully hu.sbanding his financial 
resources he was at length enabled to begin 
farming on his own accmint. Previous to this 
time, however, he went to New York and in 
Onondaga county followed farming for about 
three years. 

It was during that period on the 8th of De- 
cember. 1881, that Mr. Bond was united in 
marriage to Miss Ellen C. Oliver, a native of 
Onondaga county, where .she was reared and 
spent her girlhood days. Her father, John 
Oliver, was a native of I-jigland, in which coiui- 
try he was reared and married, and on crossing 
the .\tlantic to the new world he settled in 
(Onondaga county. New York. Following his 
marriage Samuel Bond and his brother Charles 
junchased eighty acres of land in Duplain town- 
ship, whereon they lived, our subject there de- 
\dting his energies to farming for two years, at 
the end of which time the property was divided, 
each taking forty acres. Samuel Bond con- 
tinued to cultivate and improve his land there 
for a few years, after which he sold out and 
bought a place in Bingham township, constitut- 
ing a i)art of the old Avery homestead. To its 
further cultivation and develoiunent he gave his 
attenti<in for six yeitrs and in 1892 traded that 
property for his present farm. He at first had 
one hundred and eighty acres here but he has 
since added forty acres so that he has now a 
good property of two hundred and twenty acres. 
He has remodeled the buildings, has set out 
fruit and has contiinied the work of the fields 
until his fann is now a very productive one. 

Mr. and Mrs. Bond have six children, John 
Henry. Frank, Clara, Fretlerick, Dean and 
1 high, all of whom are at home. They also lost 
a Son. Clarence, twin brother of Clara, who died 
at the age of eight weeks. Tlie parents are 
members of the Christian church at Duplain, 
and politically Mr. Bond is an earnest repub- 



228 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



lican, never faltering in his allegiance to the 
party. He came to this country empty-handed 
but by untiring effort and well directed labor 
has accumulated a handsome competence and 
his brother, Charles Bond, is likewise a pros- 
perous farmer of Duplain township. These 
brothers are indeed self-made men, who. from 
a humble financial position have worked their 
way steadily ui)ward to the plane of affluence. 
each having a large and valuable farm which 
has been acquired through honorable means. 
They have become respected citizens of the 
county of their adoption and are well worthy 
of representation in this volume. 



FRANK M. SPAULDING. 

Frank M. Spaulding, conducting a successful 
hardware and plumliing Imsiness in St. Johns, 
was born in this city, November 4, 1861, his 
parents being Hon. O. L. and Minerva (Mead) 
Spaulding, the former a native of Jaffrey, New 
Hampshire, and the latter of Lockport, New 
York. The father was one of the honored and 
distinguished citizens of this .state, his life hav- 
ing been one of extraordinary activity and use- 
fulness. He was born in 1833 and at the age 
of twenty-five years became a member of the 
bar, since which time he has practiced his pro- 
fession, his ability placing him in the front 
ranks among the leading representatives of the 
legal fraternity in this state. His scholarly at- 
tainments and public-spirited devotion to the 
general good have likewise qualified him for 
leadership in other lines of activity and his 
career has l)een an honor to the state which has 
honored him. He has held the office of regent 
of the University of Michigan, was secretary 
of state for two terms, represented his district 
in the forty-seventh congress and was assistant 
secretary of the treasury under President Ben- 
jamin Harrison. Three times he was appointed 
special agent of the United States treasury and 
was appointed chairman of the commission to 
the Hawaiian Islands in 1883. He has also 
held nearly all of the offices in the gift of a 
local constituency aiid in his early manhood he 



gave proof of his loyalty to his country by his 
active service in the Union -army. He went to the 
front as captain of Company A, Twenty-third 
Michigan Volunteers and was promoted from 
grade to grade until he retired as brigadier 
general. He has since 1857 regarded St. Johns 
as his home, although state and national service 
lias at times caused his residence elsewhere. 
I'aultless in honor, stainless in reputation and 
fearless in conduct — such has been his life 
record. His scholarly attainments, his states- 
nienship, his reliable judgment and his chann- 
ing ]Kjwers of conversation would have enabled 
him to aljly fill and grace any position, however 
exalted, and he is no less honored in public than 
leaved in private life. 

l-'rank M. Spaulding was the only child born 
to his i^arents. but he has three half-brothers 
;md a half-sister. His early education was ac- 
quired in the public schools of St. Johns, where 
he continued until he had become a high-school 
student. He entered Imsiness life as an employe 
of Governor David Jerome at Saginaw, Michi- 
gan, acting as salesman in his hardware store, 
where he continued for six years. Later he be- 
gan business on his own account in that city, 
becoming a member of the hardware firm of 
Spaulding & Stark, the junior member being 
Charles Stark, who soon afterward bought out 
Wv. Spaulding"s interest, and he then came to 
St. Johns. Here he was chosen secretar}- and 
treasurer of the Whipple Harrow Company and 
in 1889 he purcha.sed an interest in the hard- 
ware business then conducted under the name 
of Nixon & Company. A year later he bought 
Mr. Nixon's interest and the firm of Spaulding 
& Company has since had a continuous exist- 
ence and has greatly increased the business, 
which has probably reached three times the 
original dimensions. In connection with the 
hardware trade they have a complete .shop for 
jjlumbing, tinning and other work of that char- 
acter, and Mr. Spaulding, a man of resourceful 
business ability and keen discrimination, is also 
connected with the Clinton Butter Company, 
which was established three years ago and of 
which he has served as treasurer from the be- 
ginning. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



229 



On tlie 4th of September, 1889, Mr. Spaniel- 
ing was married to Eva Hogan. a daughter of 
George Hogan. of Saginaw, Michigan, and 
their hving children are George Oliver and 
Mar\' ^fargneritc. They also lost a daughter. 
Alta M., who died in 1902. Mr. Spaulding is 
fratemally connected with the Masons, Knights 
of Pvthias, Modern Woodmen and the Royal 
Arcanum. He is one of the progressive men of 
St. Johns. In politics a republican, he has never 
been bitterly partisan, but has been called to 
some local offices, serving as superintendent of 
the poor since 1896. He was also president of 
the village for one year, a member of the board 
of trustees for two years, and for a numlK'r 
of years ser\'ed on the board of the electric and 
Clinton Gal 63 

water company. He has stnud as the champion 
of all measures for the public progress and local 
advancement and yet with little political aspir- 
ation for himself. He has preferred to con- 
centrate his energies upon his business affairs 
and is to-day numbered with the leading mer- 
chants of the citv. 



ALFRED R. SMITH. 



.\lfred R. Smith, living on section 7. Bath 
township, dates his residence in Michigan from 
1866, and since 1868 has li\ed in Clinton 
county, where he now owns anrl conducts a 
farm of eighty acres. He was born in Mon- 
roe county. New York, March 28. 1842, and 
spent his youth in that locality, acquiring his 
education in its public schools. In December. 
1861, when a young man of nineteen years, he 
oflfered his aid to his country then involved in 
the Civil war and was enrolled with the volun- 
teers of Company G, Seventy-eighth New York 
Infantr\-. His regiment was attached to the 
Army of the Potomac until 1863. under com- 
mand of General Pope, and in the year men- 
tioned was transferred to the Western .Xrmy. 
with which Mr. Smith served until the clo.se 
of the war. The first engagement in which he 
participated was at Cedar Mountain in 1862. 
and later he was in the second battle of Bull 



Run. liccoming ill. he was in the hospital for 
a time and later he participated in the engage- 
ments of Chancellorsville, Gettysburg and 
Kenesaw Mountain. Being wounded by a gun- 
shot in the left breast he was disabled for three 
months and later served on detached duty, act- 
ing as a nur.se in the hospital for three months. 
Subsequently he joined Sherman's army at 
{idld.sboro. North Carolina, and was mustered 
tnit at Bladen.sburg, Maryland. While at Hart's 
Island, New ^'ork. he was honorably discharged 
and in July, 1865, returned to his home. It 
will be seen from the account of the battles in 
which he particii)ated that he traveled many 
miles frfim the south and was in a number of 
the most iicitly contested engagements. 

When the w-ar was over Mr. Smith went to 
the oil regions of Pennsylvania, where he re- 
mained for a few months, and in 1866 he came 
westward to Michigan, where for two years 
he was employed in the pine woods. In 1868 
he located in Clinton county, taking up his 
abode in I^ewitt township, where he purchased 
a tract of land that was wild and unimproved. 
Here he developed a farm in riue course of time. 
Eventually he sold the property and removed to 
Lansing, where he conducted the Smith Hotel, 
a temperance house, for one year. On the ex- 
piration of that ])eriod he bought a farm in 
Dewitt town.ship, whereon he lived for eight 
years and on selling that property went to Colo- 
rado but soon returned to this state and pur- 
chased the place upon which he now resides. 
He has cleared it. making substantial improve- 
ments thereon, and now has eighty acres of 
good land, which is productive and valuable and 
is the visible evidence of his life of thrift and 
enterprise. 

On the 30th of June. 1869, Mr. Smith was 
married to Miss Julia McGonigal, who was born 
in Shiawassee county, Michigan, and is a daugh- 
ter of Dennis McGonigal, one of the early set- 
tlers of that part of the state. Tliere are five 
children of this marriage: Alfred E., living in 
New York state; Frank G., of Ohio: Ella M. ; 
Nettie, the wife of Professor William E. Lay- 
cock, principal of the schools of Bath; and 
Glen O. 

For almost thirty-seven years Mr. Smith 



230 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



has been a resident of Clinton county, who is 
recognized as one of the honest yeomen of Bath 
townslii]). In his poHtical views he is a stanch 
republican but has never sought or desired office. 
He fought for the preservation of the Union 
in tlie Civil war and yet carries the scars of bat- 
tle recei\ed in defense of the old flag. The 
ranks of the nld soldiers are fast being dis- 
seminated but Mr. Smith with others remains 
to tell the story of the campaigns of the south 
and the movements of the armies which es- 
tablished the perpetuity of the Union. 



WILLIAM GILLISON. 

William ( iillison is a representative of one 
of the pioneer families of Clinton count}- and 
was born on the old family homestead in Bing- 
ham to\\nship, December i8, 1873, '^'^ P^''" 
ents being George and Ann (Hufton) Gillison. 
The father was born in Lincolnshire, England, 
DecemJK'r 23, J 845, his parents being Thomas 
and Lucy (Lindley) (iillison. both of whom 
were natives of England, wlm came to the 
United States in 1856, settling in Clarence 
township, Erie county. New York, where they 
lived until 1863. That year witnessed their 
arrival in Clinton county, where Thomas Gil- 
lison ])urchased the old Richardson farm in 
Binghaiu township, whereon he and his wife 
both s])ent their remaining days. 

George (iillison, who began his education 
in England, continued bis studies in the 
schools of New York and after coming to this 
townshi]) with his parents he remained under 
the parental roof until twenty-five years of age, 
when he removed to Chapin township, Lapeer 
county, working on the Chapin estate for three 
years. On the expiration of that period he re- 
turned to this county in 1873 and settled <in 
forty acres of land in Bingham township, which 
he had previously purchased. He continued 
there for ten years, when he sold and bought 
seventv-four acres of the Richardson farm, on 
which he has since made his home. All of the 



improvements u])on the property are evidences 
of his handiwork, thrift and progressive spirit, 
for he has reclaimed the farm from a marshy 
swamp and transformed it to its present pros- 
perous condition. In May, 1870, he was 
united in marriage to Aliss Ann Hufton, a 
daughter of George Hufton, of Bingham town- 
shi]). and they became the parents of two chil- 
dren, William and Mamie, the latter living 
with Mr. and Mrs. R. E. Hicks, of Bingham 
townshi]). Mrs. Gillison dei^arted this life in 
January, 1879, and for his second wife Mr. 
Gillison chose Lizzie Blank, a daughter of John 
Blank, of 0\id townshi]). Of the six children 
of this marriage the four youngest are still 
living: b^dward. Benjamin, .\lbert and Ar- 
thur, all ui>on the home farm with tlieir father. 

William (iillison was educated in the dis- 
trict schools until thirteen years of age. He 
was reared by his grandparents until their 
deaths broke up the home, when he returned to 
the home of his father, who in the meantime 
had married again and w ith whom he remained 
until twenty-one years of age. He then pur- 
sued a commercial course in Clearv Business 
College at ^^jisilanti. from which he was grad- 
uated in Decemlier, 1895. He then spent one 
Near in Detroit, after which he returned to 
Clinton count} and took up his abode again 
upon his grandfather's farm, which had been 
his home for so many vears. Here he vet re- 
sides and takes pride in im])ro\ing the pro]i- 
erty and the home of his boyhood, where are 
still seen some of the early landmarks, includ- 
ing a part of the old orchard which w^as set 
out before his grandfather Ixiught the farm. 
Some of the buildings, too, are still standing 
that were erected in 1870. The grandfather 
died Januar}- 10, 1887. and bis widow passed 
away November 17. 1889. at which time 
George Gillison was a])])ointed administrator 
of the estate. William Gillison in his operation 
of the farm shows thorough and intimate 
knowledge with the best methods of agrind- 
ture and in his work is at all times practical 
and energetic. 

On the 1st of Jaiuiar}-. 189(1. occurred the 
m;u-riaee of William Gillison and Miss Marvett 




MK. AXl) MRS. Wll.IJA.M GILLISON. 



15 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



233 



Colby, a (lau^liter of Henry Colljy. <>t N'psi- 
lanti. Her parents were anion^f the early set- 
tlers in the vicinity nt \'psilanti. where tlie\ 
are still lixinsj njxin a farm. Thev liad ])re\i- 
ousl_\- resided in Kansas, wiiere .Mrs. (lillison 
was born. She has hut une sister li\in<i- in tliis 
county. Airs. l<"]oy(l Talxir, who resides in 
I'.ino-ham township. L"nto Mr. and ^^rs. (iilli- 
son lia\'e been burn I'nur ehildren, n\ wlmm 
Leonard. L.iwrence and 1-eslie are all l:\inj;. 
while Lester died May 26. 1903. 

In his political \-iews Mr. (iillisnn is an 
earnest and tuifalterinsj republican and in i<)04 
was elected township clerk, to which ottice he 
was re-elected in 1905, so that he is the jjresent 
incunibent. He is likewise a member of St. 
J<ihu's cam]!, Xo. 23S7, M. W. .\.. in which he 
holds the office of watchman. .\ youni;' and 
euterprisinq- farmer, he is well known in the 
county in which the greater part of his life 
has been passed and during- almost the entire 
time he has resided upon one farm. 



DILAZOX L. STICllLLR. 

Dilazon L. Stichler, an agriculturist of \'ic- 
tor township, his home being on .section 17, is 
one of the old .settlers of Michigan, few of its 
residents having longer remained within its 
borders, for Mr. Stichler took up his alnide in 
Midn'gan in 1844. He has lived in Clinton 
county since t868 and is one o\ the worthv 
citizens that Ohio has furnished to the state. 
His birth occurred in lUiffalo. New York, Sep- 
tember 3, 1835. His father, George Stichler. 
was a native of Pennsylvania, where he spent 
the days of his Iwyhood and youth, and when a 
young man went to Ohio, where he was mar- 
ried to Mi.ss Lucy Waldo. ;i native of \'erniont. 
in which state she was reared. .Mr. Stichler 
was a carpenter and joiner by trade and fol- 
lowed that ])ursuit in early manhood. The year 
1844 witnessed his arrival in Michigan, at 
which time he established his home in l'"lint, 
where he was connected with building pursuits. 
He <lid work, however, in a number of counties 



and in 1S53 removed to Shiawassee county, 
where he located on a farm. 

Dilazon L. Stichler was reared to manhood 
in this slate with fair common-school ad- 
\antages in his youth, lie learned the carpen- 
ter's ;in<l joiner's traile under the direction of 
his lather and later followed contracting and 
building in .Shiawassee county for a nmnlier of 
years. Subsef|uently with his earnings he in- 
vested in t'orty acres of land in that county and 
de\iited his energies to farming for a few years, 
lie was united in marriage in Woodhull. Janu- 
ar\- I. 1S37, to Miss M.iry I'.xerls. who was a 
native of Tompkins connt\'. .\ew York. She 
came to Michigan in her childhood days and 
was reared in Shiawassee countv. 

l'"ollowing his marriage .Mr. Stichler worked 
at his trade for a numl)er of years and in 
Lansing he assisted in the construction of the 
old capitol and also in the building of the .\,gri- 
cultnral College. He likewise worked at his 
trade in Owosso and other towns and subse- 
quently he bought land and located on a farm 
in Shiawassee county. .\t a later date he in- 
vested in a farm in Washtenaw countv. where 
he carried on general agricultural pursuits for 
four years, .nid in 1868 he removed to Clintoii 
county, inn-chasing eighty acres of land, where 
he now resides. He then located in the woods 
and cleared ofif the timber, fenced his land and 
opened u]) a farm. He first built a log house 
which remained his home for a few years, after 
which he erected a got)d neat two-story resi- 
dence, also twi) good l)arns and other substantial 
outbuildings, lie i)lanted an orchard and .set 
out much small fruit and has an attractive and 
jjroductive farm, the value of which has greatly 
appreciated because of the care and lalx)r which 
he has bestowed upmi it. He has likewise in- 
vested in more land and owns two eighty-acre 
tracts and two forty-acre tracts, all valuable 
farming proi)erty. In connection with the till- 
ing of the soil he has l)een engaged in breed- 
ing and dealing in high grade shorthorn cattle 
and this branch of his business has proved quite 
profitable. 

Mr. and Mrs. Stichler have liecome the par- 
ents of eleven children, of whom five are yet 



234 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



living as follows : Wallace, a fanner of Clinton 
county; Nettie, the wife of I-^"ecl Dickinson, of 
Grand Ledge; Grant, who owns and operate? 
a farm adjoining his father's place; D. L., Jr.. 
who is also a farmer of Clinton county : and R. 
D., who is married and assists in the operation 
of the home farm. Of the six children who 
have passed away. Clarence, the first born, died 
when three years old ; Herbert grew to man- 
hood, married and died in 1896; Eva died at 
the age of four years; Ida when about thirteen 
years of age ; Rupert at the age of nine years ; 
and Jessie when five years old. 

Mr. Stichler is deeply interested in political 
affairs and keeps well informed on the questions 
and issues of the day. He cast his first presi- 
dential ballot for John C. Fremont in 1856 and 
has voted for each presidential nominee of the 
republican party down to the present time. He 
has never sought or desired office, however, 
preferring to give his attention to his farm and 
business interests. He is a believer in good 
schools and in the employment of competent 
teachers, and for some years has been an able 
member of the school board. He and his wife 
are members of the United Brethren church. 
For sixty-seven years he has been a resident 
of Michigan and of Clinton county for thirty- 
seven years and has therefore largely witnessed 
the growth and development of the state. In 
his business operations he has aided in the im- 
provement of a number of Michigan cities but 
is "now thoroughly identified with the people of 
Clinton county, with whom he has been as- 
sociated for more than a third of a century. His 
acquaintance is wide and favorable, and the es- 
teem of a large cu'cle of friends is cordially ex- 
tended to him. 



ZEPHANIAH SEXTON. 

Zephaniah Sexton, thrifty and successful in 
his fanning operations, owns and operates one 
hundred and sixty acres of land on section 13, 
Olive township, and has devoted his energies to 
the cultivation and development of this place 
since 1867. He was born in Clark county. 



Ohi<i. May 23, 1839, while his father, 
Zephaniah Sexton, Sr.. was a native of Ver- 
mont. ^^'hen seventeen years of age he and his 
mother removed to Canada, locating in On- 
tario, where he was afterward married. Sub- 
sequently he went to New York state, where he 
resided for a few years and then returned to 
Canada, settling near Berlin. There he en- 
gaged in farming for several years and while 
residing there he lost his first wife and was 
married again, his second wife being Elvira 
Clemens. It was of this marriage that the sub- 
ect of this review was born. On again leaving 
Canada the father took up his abode in Ohio, 
where he lived upon a farm until 1843, when 
he left the Buckeye state for Illinois, establish- 
ing his home in Hancock county, where he 
Ixiught a tract of land and spent his remaining" 
days. He was not long permitted to enjoy his 
new home, however, for his death occurred the 
following year, 1844. His wife survived him 
for many years and died at the home of lier 
son, Mr. Sexton of this review, in 1895, at the 
age of eighty-nine years. There were five chil- 
dren in the family, of whom four are yet liv- 
ing: James, a resident of Grayville, Illinois; 
Mr. Sexton, of this history; Job W.. of Clinton 
county; and Sarah, the wife of Samuel Barrett, 
of Victor township. A daughter. Julia, became 
Mrs. Stocker and died about 1902. 

Zephaniah Sexton accompanied his parents 
on their removal from Ohio to Illinois and in 
1846 came to Michigan with his mother, 
settling in Oakland county. Their home was 
in Oxford and he was reared and educated 
there. In early manhood he made a trip to the 
west in 1857. visiting Illinois and Kansas. 
After tiie outbreak of the Civil war he re- 
sponded to the country's call for troops, enlist- 
ing at Pontiac, Michigan, on the 2d of Sep- 
tember, 1861, for three years' service. He was 
assigned to Company D, Second Michigan In- 
fantiy. and going to the south he served 
throughout the period of hostilities, re-enlisting 
and thus becoming a veteran. He was made 
corporal May 4. 1862, and became color guard. 
On the 2d of March, 1863, he was promoted to 
sergeant and re-enlisted December 31, 1863, at; 




ZElMI.WIAli SEXTON. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



237 



Blaine's crossroads farm. Ijeiiig; mustered in 
January i. 1864. He was with tlie army for 
nearly four years and was first under tire at 
Munson Hill, the re,i!^iment being attached ti) 
the divisi(3n under General McClellan. while 
later they constituted a part of Burnside's com- 
mand. Mr. Sexton was also in the siesje of 
\ickslnirg- and at Kno.xville. The first im- 
portant engagement in which he jiarticipated 
was at W'illiamsliurg in the spring of 1862. 
He was also in the battles at Fair Oaks. Charles 
City Crossroads, Malvern Hill, die second bat- 
tle of Bull Run and Fredericksburg and after- 
ward was transferred to the west with the army 
operating in Kentucky. It was subse(|uent to 
this time that he participated in the siege of 
\'icksburg and taik part in the two battles of 
Jackson. He veteranized at Qiarles City Cross- 
roads in Tennessee and was then granted a fur- 
lough l)ut because he was ill in the hosjjital at 
Louisville he was only able to spend one-half of 
this time — fifteen days — at home. He after- 
ward served on tletached duty in a regimental 
hospital and was mustered out at the close of 
the war, July 28, 1865. being honorably dis- 
charged on the 8th of August, 1865. 

The following year Mr. Se.xton arrixeil in 
Clinton county and purchased the farm upon 
which he now resides. It was then a tract of 
tiniljer land, on which not a tree had been cut. 
The following year he took up his ahxle on 
this place and began to clear and fence the 
property. Soon the sound of his a.x awakeneil 
the echoes of the forest and he continued the 
arduous task of cutting down the trees, grub- 
bing out the stumps and clearing the fields until 
he had his farm in an excellent state of culti- 
vation. He has erected a large two-story resi- 
dence, also a commodious basement barn and 
granary, a sheep jien and other necessapi' sheds 
and buildings and in fact has exerted his energy 
along lines of lalxir that have proved practical 
and ])rofitabte. He has not only cultivatc<l the 
cereals best adapted to the soil and climate but 
has also raised gcxxl horses and cattle and in 
recent years has made a specialty of raising 
Shropshire sheep, these different branches of his 
business returning to him an excellent income. 



In Oakland county on the 3d of July, 1867, 
Mr. Sexton was married to Miss Mary Jane 
Doty, who died in 1870, leaving a daughter, 
Carrie .\., now the wife of John H. Chaffee, 
who is carrying on her father's farm. Their 
children are lu"ma Irene. Russell Andrews, 
Minaor Joyce and Julia .\delia. Mr. Se.xton 
married again in Oakland county on Christmas 
day of i.Sjj. when Sarah !•;. Mann, of that 
county, became his wife. She dic<l Xoveinber 
18, 1877, and the two children born of that 
marriage, Verna Lee and Nettie E., are also 
deceased. In 1885 in Oakland county ^Ir. Sex- 
ton wedded Miss .\nna X«il. of that county, 
and this wife died in December, 1886. 

In his political \iews and affiliation Mr. Sex- 
tun is a stanch republican, having supported the 
party since its organization. He served on the 
board of supervisiors of his township for one 
term, has been justice of the peace for a num- 
ber of years, was commissioner of highways for 
two terms and drain.age commissioner for four 
years and in all these offices has discharged his 
duties with promptness and fidelity. He is a 
delegate to the county, judicial and state con- 
\entions and is recognized as one of the leading 
republicans of the community, his opinions 
carrying weight in councils of his party. He 
is a member of the Ma.sonic fraternity of 
Laingsburg and abso of the chapter and com- 
manderj- at St. Johns and he likewise Ijelongs 
to the Grand .\rmy ])ost at the county seat. In 
every relation of life Mr. Sexton has Ijeen found 
true to the duties which have devolved upon 
him and his Ialx)rs have been a C(j-operant and 
helpful factor in the substantial imiirovcment 
and development of this section of the state. 



BEXJ A.MIX A. KVES. 

Benjamin .\. Kyes. who is familiarly called 
"I>en" by his inimerous friends, being one of 
the pojjular and prominent citizens of his lo- 
cality, is actively and successfully engaged in 
farming on section 15, Dewitt township, where 
he o[)erates twcj hundred and eighty acres of 



238 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



land within six miles of Lansing. He is one 
of the native sons of Michigan, his birth having 
occurred in Barrj- county. May 28, 1866. His 
father, Perry Kyes. was also torn in this state, 
his natal place being Jackson county and the 
date March 31, 1832. The grandfather. 
Samuel Kyes, was a native of Vermont and was 
a son of John Kyes. The family was es- 
tablished in the Green Mountain state at an 
early period in its development and John Kj'es 
removed from Vermont to New York, where 
his son, Samuel Kyes, was reared to manhood. 
He there married Amanda Partlow. a native of 
the Empire state, and they were the first repre- 
sentatives of tlie name in Micliigan, settling in 
Jackson county about 1830. There Samuel 
Kyes owned and improved a number of farms, 
reared his family in that county, and spent his 
remaining days there. 

Perry K}-es grew to manhood in Jackson 
county and was married in 1864 to Mrs. Sarah 
M. Record, a widow, whose birth occurred at 
Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county. New York, her 
father being William Van Tossle. Subsequent 
to his marriage Perry Kyes followed the occu- 
pation of farming in Jackson county for a 
number of years and during the season operated 
a threshing machine. In 1868 he came to Clin- 
ton county and Ixnight a farm in Olive town- 
ship, whereon he devoted his attention to 
general agricultural pursuits for a number of 
years. He then sold that property and pur- 
chased land in Dewitt township, where he now 
makes his home, teing one of the respected and 
worthy agriculturists of the community. Unto 
him and his wife have been born four children, 
three sons and a daughter: Samuel, who is a 
business man of J.ansing; Herman, also resid- 
ing in the capitol city; Benjamin A., of this 
review; and Kittie M., the wife of S. D. Felton. 
a farmer of Watertown. By her first marriage 
Mrs. Kyes had one son, Edwin, who is now a 
farmer of Olive township, and also a daugh- 
ter, Lizzie, deceased. 

Ben Kyes was reared to manhood in Clinton 
county, acquiring his education in the common 
schools and in Lansing Business College, where- 
by he was well ecjuipped for life's practical and 



respiMisible duties. After completing his studies 
he became a teacher in the business college, 
being in charge of the penmanship department 
for a year. Subsequent to his marriage he took 
charge of and has since carried on the West 
farm and in connection with the cultivation of 
the cereals l^est adapted to soil and climate he 
raises and sells stock and to some extent en- 
gages in dairying, while for five years in con- 
nection with his father-in-law, Mr. West, he 
has been engaged in buying, bailing and ship- 
ping hay. 

On Christmas day of 1891 Mr. Kyes was 
married on the farm where he now resides to 
Miss Edith W'est. a daughter of Andrew S. 
W^est. now of Lansing. Her father was born 
in Huntington, Ohio, January 6, 1846, and is 
a son of Lyman and Nina (Chapman) West, 
both natives of Massachusetts. The family 
came to Michigan in 1867, when Andrew S. 
was twenty-one years of age, and purchased the 
Thomas Robbins farm in Dewitt township, 
Clinton dainty, where Mr. and Mrs. Kyes now 
reside. Here I,yman West died when about 
seventy-one years of age and his son Andrew 
continued to make the farm his home until 
February. 1901, when he removed to Lansing. 
He is a stanch supporter of the republican party 
and has taken quite an active and prominent part 
in local politics, serving as supen-isor of Clin- 
ton county and as chairman of the board, and 
justice of the peace for five years. He is a 
meml)er of the Royal Arcanum and the Grange, 
was the first secretary of Dewitt Grange and 
afterward master of the same, and has also 
l)een master of Capital Grange. His only child 
is Mrs. Kyes. who was bom and reared on the 
home farm and completed her education in the 
I^nsing high school. Three children grace the 
marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Kyes: Neenah A., 
Lennah E. and Mildred. 

In his political affiliation Mr. Kyes has fol- 
lowed in the political footsteps of his father, 
Iioth gentlemen being stanch democrats where 
national issues are involved, while locally they 
are independent and support the best men re- 
gardless of parly affiliation. Perry Kyes has 
served as justice of the peace for a number of 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



239 



years, while B. A. Kyes is now a ineniber of 
the toanl of reviews, is likewise a member of 
the school board and district clerk. He and his 
wife are members of the Methddist Episcopal 
church at Gunnisonville and he is affiliated with 
the blue lodge of Masons at Dewitt. His social 
qualities, deference for the opinion of others, 
good nature and genuine personal worth have 
made B. A. Kyes a popular citizen of his com- 
mimitv. 



WILLIAM M. SMITH. 

William M. Smith, who is now serving for 
the third term as prosecuting attorney of Clin- 
ton county and makes his home in St. Johns, is 
a native of Bath township, this county, bom 
April 27. 1870. His parents, James M. and 
Hannah (Colden) Smith, were natives of Ire- 
land and it was during the period of the Civil 
war that tlic father came to Clinton county, 
purchasing ;i tract of land in Bath township. 
When he bought his farm it was situated in the 
midst of the green woods and was destitute of 
impro\-ement, but he at once began to clear 
away the trees and cultivate the fields and in 
due course of time he gathered rich harvests. 
He remained on the old homestead until his 
death, which occurred in 1886, while his wife 
passed away there in 1885. They were promi- 
nent and zealous members of the Methodist 
Episcopal church, and in his political views 
Mr. Smith was a stalwart republican. In their 
family were six children: Mattie .\. ; .\nna M., 
who is living in St. Johns; William M. ; 
Elizabeth E.. the wife of Edward .S. La Noble. 
of Bath township: George J., who died in T901 
while a medical student in the L'ni\'ersity of 
Michigan: and Robert C, who is superintend- 
ent of schools at Schoolcraft, Michigan. 

William M. Smith acqmred his early edu- 
<:atii)n largely through private study and later 
attendeil the .\gricultur;d College at Lansing, 
Michigan, for some time. Having determined 
to engage in the practice of law as a life work. 
he then matriculated in the University of Michi- 
gan .It Ann Arlx^r. where he studied law, and 



was admitted to the bar in Clinton county under 
Judge S. B. Daboll on the 17th of November, 
1894. The following year he passed the ex- 
amination of the state board of education in 
twent_\-()ne branches of study and was given a 
life certificate as a teacher. Following his ad- 
mission to the bar his attention was divided be- 
tween teaching and practice, h'or ten years he 
taugiit in the district and village schools of 
Clinton county, ending his work in that direc- 
tion in Dewitt in January, 1897, since which 
time he has given his undivided attention to his 
law i)ractice and political duties which lie within 
the strict path of his profession. 

In November, 1896, Mr. Smith was elected 
on the republican ticket to the office of county 
clerk for a term of tw-o years and was re- 
elected in Xoxemljer. 1898, for a second term, 
acting in that capacity until the ist of January, 
1901. He was chosen prosecuting attorney in 
November, 1900, entering upon the duties of 
that office on the ist of January, following. He 
was re-elected in 1902 and again in 1904 and 
is uiwv serving his third term in that position. 
He has made a splendid record and the expenses 
of the prosecution of criminal cases to the 
county has Iieen reduced three thousand dollars 
per annum since he entered upon the duties of 
the office. He is a lawyer of marked ability, 
careful and earnest in the preparation of his 
cases, strong in his argiuiients and logical in 
his deductions, and he has w ( m many notable 
triumphs in the courts. 

Mr. Smith is recognized as one of the political 
leaders of his district in reimblican circles and 
in lO'H ^^'i"^ chosen presidential elector, after 
wiiicli lie was made chairman of the electoral 
college for the state of Michigan. He is in- 
terested in all that pertains to local progress 
and nritinnal improvement, and his efforts have 
l)een a tangible factor in the welfare and up- 
building of this section of the state. He is a 
member of the Masonic fraternity, which he 
joined in Dewitt. and he has taken the degrees 
of the chapter, council and Eastern Star, while 
in .St. Johns commandery he is generalissimo. 
He likewise l)elongs to Moslem Tem])le of the 
Mystic .Shrine at Detrnit. and in the Knights 



240 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



of Pj'tliias lodge is ex-cliancellor commander. 
He is also connected with the Mixlern Wood- 
men of .\merica. the Maccabees and the Grange, 
and is a valued representative of these various 
organizations upon whose meniljership rolls his 
name is found. He is a man whose personal 
worth is the source of the kindly regard in 
which he is uniformly held, while in a pro- 
fession wherein in<li\idual merit is the source 
of all advancement he has gained a creditable 
and honorable iJositi<in. 



D.WTI) CLARK. 



.\mong the honored pioneer settlers of Clin- 
ton county was the Clark family, who at a very 
early period in the development of this part of 
the state took up their abode in Eagle town- 
ship. David Clark of this review was torn in 
Castleton township, Rutland county, Vermont. 
June 13, 1817. When he was five years old 
his parents remo\-ed to Putnam township, 
^^'ashington county. New "^'ork, where they re- 
mained for eight years and then liecame resi- 
dents of the township of Ticonderoga in Essex 
count}'. New \'ork. When David Clark was 
a youth of sixteen years, in the latter part of 
June, 1833, the father started with his family 
for .Michigan, traxcling l)y canal boat to the 
junction of the Northern and Erie canals and 
thence b\- line boat to Buffalo, reaching 
Schenectady on the j<i(\ of July, 1833. The 
only railroad in the state of New York at that 
time was from .Mbany to Schenectady. The 
bridges o\er the canal at that early day were 
built \en- low and when the boat passed under 
it was neces.sary that the passengers get down 
on their knees or lie down Hat in order to keep 
from being struck by the bridge. .\ distance 
of about sixty miles was co\ered in twenty- 
four hours, the boat being drawn by two horses. 
At Buffalo the family took passage on the 
steamer SheUkHi Thompson for Detroit, where 
most of the famil)- remained, while David Clark 
and his brother Heniy started for Pontiac in 
order to secure a team and move the familv to 



that ijlace. Thev resided in Pontiac until Sep- 
tember, 1835. In Februar)-. 1834. howe\er, 
Daniel Clark in company widi .\nthony Niles, 
S. B. Groger, Heman Thomas and John Ben- 
son started from Oakland county to buy land 
in the (jrand Ri\-er valley and after in\-esti- 
gating different localities decided to make ]mv- 
chase in Eagle township. Clinton county. It 
was necessary to go to White Pigeon in order 
to enter their claims, for at that time the land 
office was in that town. Daniel Clark then 
returned to Pontiac and on the uth of May, 
1834. Da\ifl Clark in company with his Ijrother 
Daniel, John Benson, Heman Thomas and Cap- 
tain Scott started for Clinton county. They 
traxeled after the manner of the times in a 
pioneer settlement, lieing entertained in the 
homes of different settlers when night over- 
took them. While on this trip ]Mr. Clark first 
saw an Indian powwow. There were about 
three hundred braves, s(|uaws and children and 
the men were adorned with war paint and 
feathers. One of them played on a flute and 
one beat a drum, while the remainder \'elled, 
danced and drank whiskey. .\t length the jour- 
ney was completed, the party reaching the home 
of .\nthony Niles on the 19th of May. 1834, 
having traveled over what was kn<i\\n as the 
Englishman's road from Dewitt to Portln.id, 
it having been cut through l>y some English- 
men alxmt a year before. Daniel Clark then 
went to White Pigeon and ])urchased for his 
father the land which was later occupied by 
Daxid Clark. The brothers Ijegan chopping a 
fallow in order to sow wheat and the next fall 
cbop])ed about eight acres, after which they 
went to I'onliac to work in the haying and 
harxest fields. In September of the same year 
Daniel and Henry Clark burned off the fallow 
in Eagle township and fenced aufl sowed the- 
field to wheat, after which they were employed 
in Pontiac through the winter. In the spring, 
however, they continued the work of improv- 
ing the farm and planted their cleared land to 
corn, potatoes and turnips that the family might 
have .something to live upon the following win- 
ter. In Septemtier, 1835, the father brought 
his wife and the other members of the family 




i).\\ll) Cl.AKK. 



i 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



243 



to Eagle township, locating on the farm which 
was the home of David Clark until his death. 

In those early days they had to go to 
Pontiac to mill with an o.\ team and it re- 
quired ahout eight days to make the trip, in 
the summer time they would camp out hy the 
roadside at night, preparing their own meals 
and letting their oxen feed along the way. 
They had to go to Pontiac or Detroit for all 
household goods, wearing materials and salt and 
at that day a barrel of salt cost five dollars. 
Much hard work was to he done in cle.iring the 
farms, which were heavily timberetl with oak, 
ash, beech, maple, elm, basswood, black walnut, 
cherr}' and hickory trees. When the claim had 
been entered the family would clear a little tract 
of land in order to build a cabin, usually living 
with some of the neighbors until the little house 
could be erected. Such pioneer homes were 
usually constructed of logs with shake roofs 
and plank floors. There was a mud and stick 
cliimney and the roof would shed rain better 
than it would keep out the snow. In 1836 
many speculators came to liie country and the 
land office was moved from White Pigeon to 
Bronson and in the fall of that year to Ionia. 
In the year 1837 the legislature passed what 
was called the wildcat banking law and the 
country became flooded with a currency almost 
worthless and hard times followed, causing 
much suffering among the settlers. In 1836 
the Newman family built a saw and grist mill 
at Portland, after which the Clarks went to 
that place instead of Pontiac to secure their 
bread stuffs. 

David Clark assisted in all of the arduous 
work of clearing and improving the farm in 
those early days when grass was cut with a 
scythe and the grain with a sickle or cradle. 
Now the mower is used on the lawn and the 
binder in the harvest fields. Cooking was done 
over the fireplace, the kettles Ijeing hung from 
hooks on the cranes. Tallow candles were used 
in lighting the houses and there were flint 
locks on the guns. The clothing was made of 
wool and fla.x spun by the women of the hou.se- 
hold and woven by them into cloth. Great 
changes have since been wrought and in all 



the advancement of progress the Clark family 
ha\e kept pace. There were no railroads in 
those early days and it required as long to make 
a trip to Detroit as it does to make a trip to 
New York at the present day. In the winter 
the members of the household chopped their 
fallows, burning the logs in the spring and 
then planting their corn, potatoes and other 
crops. In the winter of 1842-3 the snow fell 
to a depth of three feet on the level and re- 
mained on the ground until April. The wolves 
caused considerable trouble to the settlers and 
the Indians would not kill them, calling them 
brother hunters, but when Clinton county was 
organized the hoard of supervisors 'passed a 
resolution to pay eight dollars for the skin of 
every wolf killed in the county and the red 
men then began killing off their "brothers." 

The Methodist and Baptist ministers were 
usually the first ones to make their way into 
new settlements and would frequently hold 
protracted meetings, in which sectarianism was 
a strong feature. Gradually the work of im- 
provement and progress was carried on. In 
1847 the legislature passed a law to remove the 
state capital from Detroit to Lansing and this 
meant improvement and development for the 
surrounding district. The first session of the 
legislature was held there in 1848. A plank 
road was built to Detroit and to Jackson and 
.soon a railroad was constructed from Jackson 
to Lansing, while to-day Lansing is one of the 
leading railroad centers of the west. All this 
was a .s<iurce of benefit to Clinton and Eaton 
counties and the early settlers who remained 
courageously on their farms and met the hard- 
ships and discouragements of frontier life have 
at length profited by their labors. The Clark 
family in the course of time developed good 
farms, improved with substantial buildings. 
David Clark always remained upon the old fam- 
ily homestead and in the course of years be- 
came tile owner of a property, which through 
the lalxjrs of himself and brothers was trans- 
formed into a very valuable tract. He passed 
away on the 24th of October. 1905. All of 
the hardships and experiences of frontier life 
came to him but he persevered in his work and 



244 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



in later years related many interesting incidents 
of the early days when Clinton county, far re- 
moved from railroads, seemed cut off from the 
civilization of the east by long- stretches i)f 
forest. 



W. S. STARKWEATHER. 

On the list of retired citizens in Elsie ap- 
pears the name of W. S. Starkweather. He 
is now enjoying a well earned rest but for 
years was a prosperous farmer of Clinton 
county and also owned and operated land in 
Montcalm county. He had farming interests 
in Ovid and Duplain town.ships and was 
activelv engaged in the tilling of the soil until 
1 90 1, when he removed to Elsie and purchased 
the residence pro])erty that he now owns. He 
dates his residence in .Michigan from 1847 '^''"^ 
in Clinton county from 1836. He was born at 
Eagle Harbor. New ^'ork. March 14. 1847. 
His father. Sidney Smith Starkweather, was 
a native of New "^'ork and was there reared 
and married. He we(kled ]Miss Sarah Smith, 
a native of Pennsyh'ania and in <irder to pro- 
vide for his family he followed the millwright's 
trade, devoting his entire life to that pursuit. 
In 1847 he remo\e(l westward to Michigan, 
locating first at Pontiac, where he was em- 
ployed at his trade, building the first mill on 
the shore of Lake Huron. It was a sawmill 
and Mr. Starkweather removed his family 
there and remained for a year, after which he 
returned to Pontiac. In 1856 he located in 
the town of OA'id, Clinton county, wliere he 
was also engaged in business as a millwright. 
He and his sons likewise cleared and opened 
up a farm in Ovid tmvnship, whereon he made 
his home during his last days. His fleath. 
however, ocairred at the residence of liis 
daughter in Oakland county, his wife having 
passed away some four j'ears previous. In 
their family were twelve children, si.x of whom 
reached adult age, of whom two sons and two 
daughters are yet living. 

W. S. Starkweather spent the days of his 
bovhood and vouth in the usual manner of 



farm lads in 0\id townshii) and assisted in 
the arduous ta.sk of clearing and developing 
the home place. He remained with his father 
until after he had reached adult age and in 
i8()4. when a youth of seventeen years, he 
responded to the country's call for aid, enlist- 
ing in Company K. Thirtieth Michigan In- 
fantry. He was detailed to take drafted men 
to the front and return prisoners to the north 
and thus he served until the final close of the 
war. being honorably discharged in June, 1865. 

Mr. Starkweather then returned to his home, 
where he lived at different intervals for several 
years, working, however, at other times in 
other localities. He was married in Ovid 
township, in March. 1873, to Mi.ss .\manda 
.\cre. a native of Canada. In the Acre family 
were seven chiklren. four .sons and three daugh- 
ters: Joseijh. who is living in St. Johns, Michi- 
gan: Edward, a farmer residing near the 
Colony in Duplain town.ship; Arthur, a resident 
of Ovid townshi]); Grant, who is living in 
Eagle townshi]): Mrs. Starkweather: Mary, 
the wife of Harrison Wilson, of Gratiot county; 
and Lillie, the wife of James Worden, of 
Elsie. Mrs. Starkweather largely spent her 
gii-lbood and youth in Clinton countv. 

.\fter his marriage Mr. Starkweather rented 
land in 0\\(\ townshi]). where he engaged in 
farming tor two \ears. and subsequentlv re- 
moved to Montcaliu count}-, where he ])urchased 
eighty acres of raw land and began the de\-elop- 
ment of a garni, transforiuing the tract into a 
productive ]iroi)erty. There he lived for four 
years, after which he .sold that place and 
retiu'ned to CliiUon countv. purchasing forty 
;icres of land in Duplain townshii), near Elsie. 
Again he began the development and improve- 
ment of a farm and subsequently he purchased 
the old hoiuestead in 0\-id township, to which 
he removed, living there for many years, when 
he sold the i)roi)erty to his father, from whom 
he had ])urchased it. Mr. Starkweather of this 
re\-iew once luore took up his alxxle in Duplain 
township, where he carried on agricultural pur- 
suits for a few years, and then traded the 
lilace for another farm of eighty acres in 
Duplain township. Settling thereon he greatly 
iinpro\L'd the ])roperty. adding to it all mod- 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



245 



eni (.•(luipincnts ;inil accessories, lie also liuilt 
a fine large barn .it a cost of one tlioiisand 
dollars and remodeled and iniiinned the honse. 
In all of liis agricultural work he has heen 
enterjirisinii' and ])rogressive, keejjing in toudi 
with modern thought regarding agricultural 
interests. He has heen eminently practical in 
all his work and year 1)\- \ear he has harvested 
good crops and thus secured a gratifying 
financial return for his lal)f)r. .\t length he 
sold out and bought a home in Elsie, wliere 
he has since lived retired. He likewise owns 
another residence in the town. 

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Starkweather have been 
born three daughters, the eldest l)eing Carrie 
Belle, the wife of James White, of Lansing. 
Michigan, by whom she has a son. \'ern. Ruby 
Pearl is the wife of .\rchie Leavey, of Duplain 
township, and they have two sons. Glen and 
Dale, and a daughter. Irma. Nora is the wife 
of Dow Bennett, of Fairfield. Michigan, and 
they have two children. Alnion and Ethena. 
The parents are meniliers of the Methodist 
Epi.scoiKiJ church, in which Mr. Starkweather 
is serving on the board of stewards. He lie- 
longs to the Grand Army post at Elsie and 
gives his political allegiance to the republican 
party, tiie principles of which he has stancbly 
championed since casting his first presidential 
vote for I'. S. Grant. In all life's relations, 
whether upon the field of l^ittle, in the dis- 
charge of civic duties or in meeting the obli- 
gations of home, social or business life Mr. 
Starkweather is always found loyal and true 
and his many e.xcellent traits of character com- 
mend him to the good will of all with wh<im 
he has been associated. 



OTIS J. DUTCHER. 

Otis j. 1 )utcber. living on section 5, Eagle 
town.ship, was l)om in Roxana township, Eaton 
county. Michigan, February 16. tSj^. His 
parents. Cieorge W. aiid Sibyl (Savage) 
Diitcher, were natives of Pennsylvania, and in 



early lite became residents of liaton county, 
w here the\- were married forty years ago. The 
paternal grandfather. David Dutcher, took up 
his abode in that county alwnit a half century 
ago and there cleared the farm which is now 
owned by George W. Dutcher. The grand- 
father was for many years a worthy and re- 
spected pioneer settler of his countv and died 
in Sei)teml)er, 1904, at the venerable age of 
eight\-se\cn years, while his wife, who bore 
the maiden name of Lucinda Swinley, and was 
a native of Pennsylvania, died in September, 
1900, at the age of seventy-four yeirs. The 
maternal grandfather, Abram Savage, was a 
native of Pennsylvania, and took up his abode 
in F.aton county, Michigan, about fifty years 
ago. entering a claim of eighty acres from the 
government. He is .still living at the age of 
ninety-two years and is one of the oldest citi- 
zens of the state and an honored pioneer settler 
of his community. His wife was Esther Beach, 
a native of Pennsylvania, who died in 1893. 
at the age of eighty-live years. George W. 
Dutcher was one of a family of six children, 
of whom two are living, his brother being 
Warren, a resident of Pennsvlvania. Through- 
out the greater part of his life George W. 
Dutcher has been identified with agricultural 
pursuits in Michigan, and reared his family in 
Eaton county. He has six children: Nonnan 
E.. who resides in .\ntrim county. Michigan: 
Otis J.: Ernest B.. a resident of V'ictor town- 
ship. C"linton county; Perley, of Eagle town- 
shi]): ivsther L.. also of Eagle towiiship: and 
Sibyl, who is living in Eaton county. 

Otis J. Dutcher began his education in the 
district schools and at the age of fourteen vears 
started out to earn his own living by working 
as a farm hand by the month, lieing thus em- 
ployed for sixteen years. Oi the j8th of De- 
cember. 1904, he removed to his present farm 
owned by Jacob Dravenstadt, on section 5, 
Eagle township, and here he has displayed the 
(pialities of an enterprising agriculturi.st for he 
is an energetic and hard-working young man. 

On the 27th of March, 1900, Mr. Dutcher 
was married to Miss Ella May Tillit.son, a 
daughter of John and Marie L., (McCreub) 



246 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



Tillitson, of Eagle township. Her father died 
March 5, 1902. at the age of forty-five years, 
while his wife passed away March 10. 1902, 
also, when forty-two years of age. In their 
family were nine children. Ella May, Pearl, 
Elroy, Eddie, Clarence and Leon, all of whom 
are yet living, while Orpha, Roy and one 
(ither died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Dutcher 
have two children, Velda and Catherine. Mr. 
Dutcher works persistently and energetically in 
his farming operati'ons and is meeting with 
good success. He is respected for his de- 
termination and genuine worth and has gained 
many friends during his residence in this part 
of the state. 



OTHMAN W. LOWELL. 

Othman \V. Lowell, one of the respected and 
representative farmers of Watertown town- 
ship, living on section 23, is a native of the 
Empire state, his birth having occurred in 
Shelby township, Orleans county, August 6, 
1838. The Lowells are of English descent and 
come of the same ancestry as James Russell 
Lowell, the distinguished essayist. Othman 
W. Lowell is a son of Josiah and Joanna ( Har- 
ris) Lowell, the former a native of Vermont 
and the latter of New Hampshire. Following 
his marriage, the father came to Clinton county, 
Michigan, in 1839, settling on section 21. Wa- 
tertown township. In January, 1840, he re- 
turned for his family, journeying on foot 
through Canada to his old home in the Em- 
pire state. On making the trip westward in 
the spring of 1839, he was accompanied by 
Joseph S. Loomis and Joseph Sanborn, who lo- 
cated on the west half of the southeast quarter 
of section 21. As he could not pay for the 
claim he remained and chopped down trees and 
put up a log cabin. He thus paid for his land 
by cutting timber for others but Mr. Loomis 
and Mr. Sanborn paid for their land at the 
time the claim was filed. These gentlemen 
made the first permanent settlement at Water- 
town Center. In 1840 Josiah Lowell brought 
his family by boat from Buffalo to Detroit, 



where he was met with an ox-team and thus 
the journey was continued through the forests 
to Watertown township, it requiring eight days 
to make the trip from Detroit. The family 
numbered eight members, the eldest child that 
came with them, George, now a resident of 
Watertown township, being at that time six- 
teen years of age. Cassin came latei". On 
reaching the little log cabin they found that it 
was minus floors and doors and that Mr. Low- 
ell had put up only the walls and roof and the 
family occupied it in that way until it could 
be completed. Mr. Lowell worked about the 
neighlx)rhood as he could get employment in 
order to earn the money that would supply his 
famil}' with provisions and other necessaries. 
Later he paid for the original forty acres and 
erected therefm good buildings and as his finan- 
cial resources still further increased he pur- 
chased eighty acres of land on section 31. 
Thus year by year he prospered and also won 
for himself an honorable name. He died May 
4. i860, at the age of sixty-nine years, while 
his wife passed away November 6, 1866. when 
se\enty-three years of age. He had been 
prominent and influential in community affairs, 
had served as justice of the peace and highway 
commissioner for a number of years and was 
identified with the Methodist Episcopal church 
and the Masonic fraternity. His funeral was 
the first conducted b}^ that order in this locality. 
When Mr. Lowell arrived in Watertown town- 
ship the other settlers of the township were 
- Elial and Truman Ingersoll, living on section 
35, Mr. Billings on section 36, Jonas Smith on 
section 31, and Stephen Hill on section 15. 
There was also a small settlement at Wacousta, 
where a grist mill had been established. Calvin 
Marvin, the first settler in Watertown town- 
ship, had located on section 12 in 1835. Thus 
the Lowells became early identified with the 
development and progress of the county and 
they took an active and helpful part in the 
reclamation of the wild land for the purix)ses of 
civilization. In the family of Josiah Lowell 
were ten children, those still living being: 
Edna, wife of Willard King, of Watertown 
township: Laura, the widow of A. J. Smith 




MR. AXD .MRS. O. W. LOWELL. 



i6 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



249 



and a resident of Wacousta; George W., who 
is living in Watertown township; Martha, the 
wife of M. L. Corbin, of tlie same township; 
and Othnian W. Those who have passed away 
are : Juha, the wife of George C. Jarvis ; Cassin, 
who was the eldest son ; Jane, the wife of Elias 
Garlock; Marian, the wife of Levi Garlock; 
and John H. 

Othman W. Lowell attended the first school 
at Watertown Center when a youth of ten 
years. He had had no educational privileges 
prior to that time, having never seen a school- 
house nor a teacher. His first teacher was Mrs. 
Cornelia Hazzard, who is now living in Wa- 
cousta. Mr. Lowell continued on the home 
farm, going four miles through the forests in 
order to attend school. He had little oppor- 
tunity to pursue his studies save in the winter 
season for it was necessary that he aid in the 
labors of the farm during the summer months. 
He remained upon the old homestead and after 
his father's death came into possession of a part 
of the land on which he continued until the fall 
of 1868, when he sold that projierty and took 
up his abode on his present farm, comprising 
one hundred and sixty acres on section 23, 
Watertown township. It was covered with a 
dense growth of timber and there were no 
roads. The land was wild and unimproved and 
it seemed that the work of progress had scarcely 
been begun. Mr. Lowell cleared all of the land 
himself, split rails, erected builcHngs and in the 
course of years has developed a splendidly im- 
proved farm. This has required much arduous 
toil .ind his life has been a strenuous one but 
his labors have in due course of time been 
crowned with a gratifying measure of pros- 
perity. 

In .\ugust, 1859, was celebrated the mar- 
riage of Mr. Lowell and Miss Jeanette Masters, 
a daughter of George Masters, of Wayne 
county. New "S'ork, who in 185^ took up his 
abode in Westphalia township, Clinton county. 
Their children are: Edith, the wife of John 
Cramer, of Watertown township; Herbert J., 
who resides on a fann adjoining his father's 
home; Clark, at home; Gerry, who is business 
manager f<ir a gasoline engine company at 



Lansing, Michigan; Jennie and Mattie, who 
are yet with their parents. 

Mr. Lowell gives an earnest support to the 
democracy and has been called to several town- 
ship offices. He served as highway commis- 
sioner for ten years, has been drain commis- 
sioner for two terms and school director for 
fourteen years and in the di.scharge of his 
duties has ever been prompt and capable, win- 
ning the confidence of the general public. He is 
one of the substantial and reliable citizens of 
Clinton county at the present time and has been 
familiar with its history from almost the be- 
ginning of its development. His mind bears 
the impress of its early historic annals as well 
as of the events which constitute its later 
progress and improvement and he justly de- 
serves mention in this volume. 



LUTHER L. NICHOSON. 

Luther L. Nichoson, who is engaged in 
general farming on section 30, Westphalia 
township, was born in Kent county, Michigan, 
November 14. 1856. His parents, Orson and 
Matilda (Moe) Nichoson, were natives of the 
state of New York and came to Michigan after 
their marriage, settling near .\nn .\rbor after 
living for a brief period at Grattan. Kent 
county. Micbig.'ui. The father was a farmer 
by occupation and an influential man of his lo- 
cality, where he was called to fill several offices. 
He died about the time of the outbreak of the 
Civil war. His wife, long surviving him, 
passed away in March, 1896, at the age of 
seventy-nine years. She was a devoted Chris- 
tian woman and a prominent member and 
worker in the Methodist Episcopal church, 
doing all in her power to promote its growth 
and extend its influence. In the family were 
seven children: John W.. who is living in 
l.uther, Michigan; Eugene L., who also makes 
his home in that town; Ernest R.. who is serv- 
ing as probate judge at Luther; Phebe, the wife 
of G. W. Temple, of Luther; Luther L., of 
this review; Martha, the wife of George Hall, 



2;0 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



a resident of Belding. Micliigan; and Aitlun- hood of their son Aimer, ajjout 1852. Daniel 

Letts afterward remo\ed to Michigan, settling 
on a farm in Duplain township, Chnton county, 
in 1858. His land was in the midst of the 
green forest but he cleared away the trees and 
de\el(3ped a good property, making his home 
tliereon until his death, which occurred when 
he was sixty-six years of age. 

Ahner Letts was reared upon the okl home 
farm, which Ixirdered the river. He is largely 
a self-educated man, his opportunities for at- 
tending school being quite limited, but in the 
school of experience he has learned many valu- 
able lessons. He enlisted at Pontiac, in Sep- 
tember. t86i. joining the First ^Michigan 
Cavalry, with which he served until 1865. He 
participated in the second battle of Bull Run. in 
the engagement at Gettysburg, the battle of 
the \\'ilderness with Custer"s. Brigade and was 



C. also living at Belding. 

Luther L. Nichoson began his education in 
the district schools and continued it in the high 
school of Graton Center. His experiences were 
those that usually fall to the lot of the farm 
lad and he remained on the old homestead until 
sixteen years of age. when he went to Portland. 
Michigan, where be attended school and was 
variously employed, giving a jjart of his time 
to milling and lumbering, .\fter his marriage 
he settled on a farm, taking u]) bis abode on an 
eighty-acre tract rif land near Luther, and in 
1893 he removed to his present farm on sec- 
tion 30, Westphalia township. Here he has 
seventy-two acres of richh' culti^■ated land, 
constituting a well improved and valuable farm, 
which he cultivates according to modern ideas. 

Li 1885 Mr. Nichoson was married to Miss 
Sarah Campbell, a daughter of Samuel and 
.\lmina (Briggs) Campbell. In politics be is 
independent, voting for the Ijest men regardless 
of party affiliation. He belongs to the Grange, 
and seeking not to figure in public life, gives 
uvn"eniitting attention to bis well conducted and 
well managed business interests. 



ABNER LETTS. 



Abner Letts, to whom has been vouchsafed 
an honoral)le retirement from labor and is now 
enjoying a well earned rest in Elsie, is a car- 
penter and joiner by trade and during many 
years was identified with building operations, 
so that many evidences of bis handiwork are 
seen in substantial structures in Clinton county, 
where he has made his home since December, 
1850. He is a native of New York, his birth 
having occurred in Seneca county on the 28th 
of April, 1842. His father. Daniel Letts, was 
a native of New Jersey and was reared there. 
He served his country as a soldier in the war 
of 181 2, and on leaving New Jersey removed 
to Seneca county, New York, where he carried 
on general agricultural pursuits. He married 
Miss Susan Mabee, who died during the child- 



in a number of other engagements of lesser im- 
portance. At Manchester his right arm was 
slightly wounded and his clothing was pierced 
liy bullets, but he escaped any serious injury. 
Howe\-er. toward the close of the war he be- 
came ill and was discharged at the hospital ir. 
Detroit. August 3, 1865. After returning 
home and somewhat recuperating his health Mr. 
Letts began working on the farm and through- 
out the greater ])art of his life has given his 
attention to agricultural pursuits. 

In 1867, in Xovi, Oakland county. Mr. Letts 
was united in marriage to Miss Ada Wilson, 
a nati\e of Clinton county, born in Ovid town- 
ship. Her father. Joseph Wilson, was a soldier 
of the Civil war. was wounded at Cold Harbor 
and later died, .\fter his marriage Mr. Letts 
Icjcated on a farm, commencing with forty 
acres, which he culti\ate(l for two years. He 
then sold the property and removed to Oakland 
county, where he operated a farm on the shares 
t\)r two years. On the expiration of that period 
be took up his abode in Ovid, where he worked 
at car])entering for seven years, at the end of 
which time he located in Saginaw county, 
Michigan, and bought a tract of forty acres of 
woodland. Clearing away the timljer he culti- 
vated the fields, residing thereon until he sold 
the property and reiuoved to Elsie. Here he 




ai;.\i:r i.i-yr'rs. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



253 



purchased a Iionie and worked at his trade for 
a niinil)er of years but is now living a retired 
Hfe, resting in the enjoyment of the fruits of 
his former toil. 

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Letts were liorn a son 
and daughter: John C, a carpenter of Elsie, 
who is married and has one son, Rollie: and 
I'annie, the wife of Hariey Emmons, a farmer 
of Duplain townsliip, by whom she has two 
daughters. May and Ethel. Mr. and Mrs. Letts 
are memijers of tiie Methodist Episcopal church 
at Elsie and take an active part in church work. 
For some time he was otilicially identified with 
the church at Chapin, ser\-ed on its building 
committee in the capacity of treasurer, and 
filled other positions. Mr. Letts is a Grand 
Army man, taking an active interest in the 
work of the organization, wiiile for two terms 
he has served as commander of the jxist. His 
wife is also a member of the Womans Relief 
Corps. His political allegiance is given un- 
falteringly to the republican party, and while 
living in Saginaw county he served as high- 
way commissioner and school director. He has 
been a resident of Michigan during the greater 
part of his life and is one of the few remaining 
old settlers and army veterans. He has aided 
in upbuilding and improving Clinton county, 
has cleared and de\eloped three farms and has 
been identified with building operations so that 
his labors have been factors in the material de- 
velopment of this part of the state. 



NORMAX WILLIAMS. 

Norman Williams, deceased, who developed 
from the wilderness the present fine farm upon 
which his widow now resides, was born in 
Herkimer county. New York, November 9, 
1823. His father, Jacob Williams, was a na- 
tive of Germany and after coming to .\merica 
established his home in Fairfield township, 
Herkimer county. There tlie mother died in 
1S32 and Xorman Williams was therefore left 
at the age of nine years to make his home 
among strangers. He began learning the 
cooper's trade but only followed it for about 



a }ear, when he secured em])lnyment as a farm 
hand. That labor proved more congenial and 
he was thus employed until 1849, when, at- 
tracted by the discovery of gold on the Pacific 
slope, he made his way to California, visiting 
both Sacramento and San Francisco and spend- 
ing three years in the mines. In 1852 he re- 
turned to the east as far as Michigan and took 
up his aljode in Clinton county, where he pur- 
chased one hundred and si.xty acres of un- 
impro\ed land on section 35, Bingham town- 
ship. Only five acres had been cleared but by 
hard work and unremitting toil he managed to 
make a good home and afterward added one 
hundred and forty acres which adjoined his 
original purchase. This he continued to im- 
prove until he had made for himself and fam- 
ily one of the finest fanns in the township. He 
also erected a very comfortable, commodious 
and attractive residence, the home Ijeing sur- 
rounded by a teautiful lawn and shaded by fine 
trees. Just as he was in a position, however, 
to put aside the arduous cares of life and enjoy 
his pleasant home and the many comforts which 
his former toil had provided him death separated 
him from all earthly ties and on the ist of 
.\ugust, 1896, he passed away, leaving a widow, 
three sons and a daughter. 

Mr. Williams was married November 3, 
1S64. to Miss Sarah Lanphere, a daughter of 
Ezekiel and Jane Lanphere, of Plymouth, 
Wayne county, Michigan. Her parents were 
among the pioneer families of Clinton county, 
to \vhich they remo\-ed from Wayne county 
in 1850. .settling in Bingham township, where 
her father died September S, 1855, leaving a 
widow and ten children, si.x of whom are yet 
living, namely: L. P>.. of Sand Hill, near De- 
troit: Hudson 11. .M.. of Stanton, Michigan; 
Mrs. Jane Clough, of Muskegon ; Mrs. Elsie 
Comjiton, of Waukegan. Illinois: Mrs. H. M. 
Bush, of Saginaw, Michigan; and Mrs. Wil- 
liams, with whom the mother made her home 
soon after the death of the father, there re- 
maining until she too jiassed awav on the igth 
of May. 1888. 

Mr. and Mrs. Williams became the parents 
of four children : .\. Fred, a commission 



254 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



merchant of Pittsl)urg. Pennsylvania : B. 
Maude, a music teacher: X'ictor X.. who is 
conductor for the Lansing Traction Company 
at Lansing: and ]\[urray C, wlio is in the 
grocer)^ business at St. Johns. The daughter 
gave up her musical career that she might re- 
main at home to comfort and be a companion 
to her mother, who still lives in a handsome 
residence on the farm which was l)uilt by Mr. 
Williams. The land, however, is rented. By 
the death of Mr. \Villiams the township lost 
a progressive citizen and much respected man. 
He had not only proved his value in support of 
all material interests in the township but was 
also active and helpful in church circles from 
1 87 1, when he joined the Methodist Episcopal 
church of Bingham township, a mission of the 
Olive Methodist Episcopal church. He was 
also a warm friend of the cause of education 
and was a member of the district school board. 
By his honest and straightforward dealing and 
conduct at all limes he earned a reputation 
for integrity thai made his word as good as his 
bond. Politicall}' he was a stanch democrat and 
at all times he was fearless in support of his 
honest convictions. He left to his family not 
only a comfortable competence but also an un- 
larnished name. 



HER.AL\N F. WARD. 

When the forests were cleared fmni the Iruid 
in Michigan its productiveness was soon pro\en 
and agriculture has since been one of the chief 
sources of revenue in the state. Herman V. 
Ward, following the occupation of farming on 
section 34, Essex township, has prospered in 
his chosen department of Imsiness activity and 
is now one of the enterprising and successful 
farmers of his community, owning and culti- 
vating one hundred acres of land. He was liorn 
upon this farm, October 20, 1856. His father. 
John Ward, was a native of Lincolnshire, 
England, where he s])ent his youth. Later he 
came to the new world and after a year's resi- 
dence in the state of New York resumed his 



westward journey to Michigan, settling in 
Clinton county, where he bought the land upon 
which his son Herman now resides. It was 
then covered wtih timber but he at once be- 
gan the arduous task of clearing the fields and 
preparing them for the plow. He bought eighty 
acres, of which he cleared fifty, building a log 
house upon the jjlace. His remaining days 
were spent upon bis farm and as the years 
passed he transformed the land into a pro- 
ductive anrl valuable tract. He was married 
in the Eni])ire state to Miss Harriet Dart, a 
native of England. His death occurred in 
1869 but his widow still survives and now 
resides with her son Herman on the old family 
liomestead. There were two sons, Frank l)cing 
now a resident of St. Johns. 

Herman F. \\'ard was reared upon the home- 
stead farm and acquired a district-sch(X)l edu- 
cation. He remained with his mother until 
he had attained his majority and then took 
charge of the farm. Prior to this time he had 
been employed for three years as a farm hand, 
working Ijy the month. From early youth he 
has l)een familiar with the labors of the fields, 
for he took his jilace behind the plow when 
but a young lad. In all that he undertakes he 
is practical, l)ro()king no obstacles that can be 
overcome by determined, earnest and honorable 
efi'ort and as the years have gone by he has 
developed an excellent jjroperty, being now the 
owner of one hundred acres oi rich and pro- 
ducti\'e land from which he annuallv garners 
good harvests. 

Herman [•'. Ward was married in Essex 
township aljout i88o to Miss Maiy West, a na- 
tive of Pennsylvania and a daughter of Samuel 
West. Mr. and Mrs. Ward have become the 
parents of five children : Hattie, who was for- 
merlv engaged in teaching in the schools of 
Clinton county: Xina. the wife of Murdo 
Bancroft, a farmer of Essex township: Elsie, 
L;i\\ rence and Robert, all at home. 

Mr. Ward gives his undi\-ided attention to 
his farm labors and has erected a neat residence 
u])on his place, also a good barn. He has like- 
wise planted consideral)le fruit, has fenced the 
place, cleared the fields of stumps and altogether 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



'■OD 



has a neat and productive farm, on wliicli lie 
is raising good cro])s and also liandling" gcjod 
graded stock. He has never faltered in his 
allegiance to the repuhlican party, although he 
has never lieen a politician in the sense of office 
seeking. He served, however, for two terms 
as a memher of the hoard of reviews and has 
heen a memher of the school lK)ard. The cause 
of education linds in him a warm friend and 
he lielieves in the employment of good teachers 
and in continually raising the standard of the 
sch(M)ls. He and his wife are memhers of the 
Lowe Methodist Episcopal chiu'ch. in which 
he is ser\ing as steward and in the work of 
the Sunday-sch(X)l he is also interested, having 
for three years served as its superintendent. He 
helongs to the Masonic lodge at Ma])le Rapids 
and he and his wife affiliate with the Order 
of the Eastern Star. He is likewise a memher 
of the Knights of the Maccahees. For almost 
a half century a resident of Essex townshi]), he 
has seen mam- changes here as the cnunt\' has 
been deNclopcd and improved and to it have 
i}een added the aihantages and e(|uii)nients of 
agricultural, industrial and commercial develop- 
ment. He has taken just pride in what has 
lieen accomplished and may well he termed one 
of the puhlic-spirited citizens. 



FRANK C. OrXN. M. D. 

Dr. I'rank C. Dimn. a ])r,ictitioner of merli- 
cine .'ind surgery in St. Johns, his native city, 
was horn September iTi, 1871. his ])arents being 
Hiram and Margaret (Cottrell) Dunn, the for- 
mer a native of Canada and the latter of .New 
Jersey. Following their marriage, in 1867, 
they removed from Welland. Canada, to St. 
Johns, where the father followed blacksmithing, 
conducting a shop for a number of years. He 
is now a well preserved man at the age of 
seventy-fi\e years. His wife, who was born 
March 20. iS.^i. died at the age of si.\ty-four 
years. January 11. 1895. In their family were 
seven children, of whom Dr. Dunn is the 
youngest. The other sur\iving meml)ers of 



the household are .Mrynzo E.. now living at 
(rveenxille. Illinois: (ieorge H.. a resident of 
I'ern-. .Michigan: and Charles I,., residing at 
.St. Johns. Those deceased are William J., who 
died in iSS_\ at the age of twenty-three years; 
(ieorgiana. who died at the age of seven years; 
and .\nnetta 1... whose death iiccurre<l at the 
age of two and a half years. 

.\i the usual age Dr. Dunn entered the 
iniblic .schools oi his native city, passing 
through successive grades until he becaiue a 
high-school student. His iireliminarv profes- 
sional training was recei\ed in the office and 
under the direction of the late Dr. A. J. Wig- 
gins, ot this city, and he won his degree uyion 
graduation from the Michigan College of 
Medicine and Surgery at Detroit on the 15th 
of .March. 189J. He located for practice in 
the same spring in h'owler, Clinton county, and 
since the 1st of June. 1896. has been a member 
of the medical fraternity at St. Johns, where 
a liberal patronage has been accorded him in 
recognition of his thorough understanding of 
the principles of medicine and his accuracy in 
applying these ]5rinciples to the needs of suf- 
fering humanity. His standing with his pro- 
fessional brethren is indicated by the fact that 
he was elected in October. 1904. to the presi- 
dency of the Clinton County ^fedical .Society. 
He is al.so a member of the .Michigan State 
Medical Society and the .\merican Medical 
.As.sociatiou and he is examiner for the New 
\'ork Life Insurance Coiupanv and the Home 
Life of New ^'ork. 

Dr. Dunn is a worthy follower of the craft, 
belonging to the Masonic lodge in St. Johns, 
also to St. Johns lodge. No. i8j. and to the 
endowment rank, while in the subordinate lodge 
he is a past chancellor. His name is likewise 
on the membership rolls of Ionia lodge. No. 
548. R. P. O. E. His political support is 
given the republican party, but the only office 
which he has ever sought or filled was one in 
the direct line of his profession, for he has 
served as county physician since 1897. He is 
a man of large stature, of generous impulses, 
warm hearted and of ready sym|Kithy. whose 
social ])rominence is as much the result of an 



256 



PAST AXD PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



irreproachable private life as his professional 
advancement is the outcome of individual merit 
and abilitv. 



OMAR B. DILLS. 



Omar B. Dills, an active and energetic 
farmer and stock raiser, owns a valuable tract 
of land of seventy acres on section 9, Dewitt 
township, not far from the village of Dewitt. 
He was born in Farmington, Oakland county, 
Michigan. September 29, 1848, and is a son of 
William and Maria Dills, botli of whom are 
represented elsewhere in this volume. With his 
parents he came to Dewitt, Clinton county, in 
1852, being then a little lad of four summers. 
He was reared in Olive township, pursuing his 
education in the district school in Olive and 
a few winters in the select school in Dewitt 
village, which was kept by Mrs. Caroline 
Bement, an old pioneer teacher of Dewitt, while 
in the summer months he assisted in the work 
of the farm. He remained with his father and 
aided him in carrying on the farm until his 
thirty-third year. 

On December 8, 1880, at the home of Rev. 
H. S. Hitchcock, of Royal Oak, Oakland 
county, Michigan (a former home of Mrs. 
Dills), Mr. Dills was united in marriage to Miss 
Abbie E. Hutchins, of Dewitt, who was born 
in Dewitt village, July 22, 1857. Her parents 
were among the early settlers of this locality. 
Mrs. Dills received her education in schools in 
Lansing, Royal Oak and Dewitt and was a 
capable teacher for a number of years prior to 
her marriage. She has been for a number of 
years correspondent to the Lansing and St. 
Johns papers. Following their marriage Mr. 
and Mrs. Dills settled upon the home place, 
where they lived for three years, after which he 
rented the Bassett farm, east of the village, 
where they lived for one year, when in 1884 
they purchased the Dewitt Brinkerhoff farm 
(formerly the J. Ciillett farm), where they now 
reside, and began its further cultivation and im- 
provement. Mr. Dills has made a specialty of 



raising good horses and has sold some high- 
priced, well-bred and valuable animals. 

In his political views Mr. Dills is a stanch 
republican but without political aspiration, giv- 
ing his time and attention to his farming and 
stock-raising interests. Unto him and his wife 
have been born a son and a daughter : Gerry W., 
born November 30. 1886. and Helen A., born 
August 9, 18S9, lx)th being still in school. 
Gerry, who is attending the Lansing Business 
Unixersity, is a graduate of Dewitt high 
school. Helen is finishing her last year in 
the Dewitt school. The parents are members 
of die I'niversalist church, Mr. Dills Ijeing 
reared in that faith. He is also a member of 
the Modern Woodman camp of Dewitt, where 
he has served as head council as well as in 
other offices in the camp. Both he and his wife 
are connected with Dewitt Grange, of which 
she is the present secretary. She is also ser\'^- 
ing her third year as secretary of Clinton 
County Pomona Grange; record keeper of the 
L. O. T. M. M. lodge; recently finished a 
four and a half years' secretaryship in the 
Order of the Eastern Star chapter; and is now 
serving as secretary of the ^Michigan State 
Grange woman's work committee. Mr. and 
Mrs. Dills are esteemed for their genuine worth 
and their circle of friends is almost co-extensive 
with the circle of their acquaintances. 



EZRA M. HUTCHINS. 

Ezra M. Hutchins. an honored early settler 
of Michigan and the father of Mrs. .\bbie E. 
Dills, represented elsewhere in this work, came 
of sturdy New England stock. He was bom 
Mav I. 1823. in .\tkinson. Piscataquis county, 
Maine, numbering among his ancestors Robert 
Fulton, the Garrys and others of note. He ac- 
quired his education in the village schools at 
Maple Corners. Maine, and while still in his 
teens Ix^gan teaching. He was a fine penman 
and conducted writing schools in the evenings, 
following that vocation until thirty years of 
age, when he followed Horace Greeley's advice. 



p 

td 



r 
r 

m 

> 
a 

I— I 




PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



259 



"(io west vnun^ man, gi' west." and in tlie 
summer of 1S53 reached tlie village of Dewitt, 
Michigan. Ilere he hegan reading law with 
l-'rank and Randoli)]) Strickland, pioneer at- 
torneys of this county, and in the winter sea- 
sons taught school in Walertuwn and Hewitt, 
lie also held various townshii) offices and his 
time was thus nccupied until 1S57. when he 
joined .Mr. I'arUer in the grocery husiness in 
Lansing, llis liealth failing him he purchased 
a farm near the ( icrman church in Dewitt and 
I operated his land in the summer months, while 
in tlie winters he continued teaching until Ma>'. 
1864. when with a party nf St. Jnhns and 
Lansing peo])le he took the overland route to 
hlahii and California, hoping that the trip 
miglit henelit his health. There he rem.iined 
until his death, in 1879. 

Mr. Hutchins was married, Octolicr 20. 
1856, to Miss Helen Hurd, the eldest of twelve 
children horn unto Daniel and ICliza llurd. 
piimeers of Dewitt township, ller l)irtlii)l.ice 
w.is Ivutland. Rutland county, \'ermiinl. ;ind 
her natal day was Septemher 20. i8_^j. .\l an 
earlv age she accompanied her ])arents im their 
removal to New ^'ork. where the\- remained 
for several years. Afterward they came to the 
west, reaciiing the townshij) of Dewitt. Clinton 
county, in 1844. There they endured many 
hardships common to pioneer life. Ihey first 
settled in what is now known as Gunnisonville 
until the liouse on Mr. llurd's f.uni on section 
20 could he com])leted. Helen liurd hecame 
one of the pioneer teachers in the southern part 
of Clinton county, acting in that capacity in 
several districts near her home and also for 
several terms at W'atertown, Center and Victor. 
Slie followed this profession until October 20, 
1856, when she ga\e her hand in marriage to 
Ezra M. Hutchins. They resided in the village 
of Dewitt until the fall of 1857, when the 
county seat was removeil from Dewitt to St. 
Johns, and Mr. and Mrs. Hutchins went to 
Lansing, where they remained for a few years. 
I'nto tlieni were Ixirn five children: Mrs. .\hl)ie 
E. Dills, now living in Dewitt; Daniel H. and 
Lizzie ¥., both of Gaylonl. Michigan ; Charles 
M., who died in 1880: and Herbert E.. of 



Chicago. .Mrs. Hutchins broke up housekeep- 
ing in 1882 and went to Lansing to keep house 
for her brother. 1). C. Hurd. and care for his 
yciung daughter recently bereft of her mother. 
She continued to reside with her brother until 
her dcitli. which occiu'red December 20. 1884. 



j A.Ml'.S .^h■(ilLl.lCCDl)^■. M. D. 

Dr. James Mc( iillicudtly, who in the prac- 
tice ni medicine at Shepards\ille is winning 
creditable success, was liorn in Watford, 
Ontario, Canada, November 28, 1871, his 
jiarents being E. and Jane ( Fullerton) Mc- 
(iillicuddy, both cjf wlmm were natives of Ire- 
land. The father came to .\merica when seven 
years of age. settling in Canada, where for 
manv vears he has fnllowed the occupation of 
farming, lioth he and his wife are still resi- 
dents of Ontario. They ha\e reared a family 
i)f eight children, df w hi im James is the fifth 
in order of birth. 

Having acipiired his elementary education in 
the pulilic schools Dr. McCiillicuddy continued 
his studies and was graduated at the high 
school of Watford. Ontario, and in the West- 
ern Cniversity, at Lnudon, Ontario, where he 
remained for two years. He afterward spent 
two \ears in the Detroit College of Medicine 
and was gniduated with the class of 1898. In 
June of the same year he locateil for practice 
at Shepards\ ille. where he has since remained 
in the active work of the jjrofession with a large 
and growing patronage. He is a member of 
the Clinton County Medical Society, the Michi- 
gan State Medical Society and the American 
Medical .\ssociation, and keeps in touch with 
the advanced thought of the profession as re- 
search and investigation are carried forward 
an<l added truths i)roniote the efficiency of the 
medical fraternity. 

On the 4th of .\pril, 1899, Dr. McGil- 
licuddy was married to Miss Elizal)eth Wiley, 
a daughter of Duncan Wiley, of Strathroy, 
Ontario, and they have one son, Oliver B, Dr. 
McCillicuildy belongs to the Masonic fraternity 



26o 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



at 0\i(I. liaving been made a Mason in 1893, 
and he also htjlds memliersliip relations with 
the Maccabees. He has the personal qualities 
that render him popular and a professional 
skill that has gained him [iruminence as a mem- 
ber of the medical fraternity and in his chosen 
life work he is making satisfactory and credit- 
able advancement. 



WILLIAM F. POTTER. 

William F. Potter, devoting his attention to 
general agricultural pursuits and stock-raising 
on section 28, Victor township, has one hun- 
dred acres of land that constitutes a good farm. 
His residence in the county covers a period of 
more than a quarter of a century and he has 
lived in Michigan since 1867. He was bom 
in the town of Butler, Wayne county. New 
York, January 23, 1832. His father, Byron 
Potter, was a native of New Jersey and when 
a young man removed to the Empire state, 
where he formed the acquaintance of Abigail 
Lewis, whom he married. She was born in 
that state and the young couple began their 
domestic life in Wayne county, where Mr. Pot- 
ter devoted his energies to agricultural pursuits. 
He was, however, a shoemaker by trade and fol- 
lowed that calling in early life. 

William F. Potter spent the days of his boy- 
hood and youth on the old homestead farm in 
Wayne county, acquiring his education in the 
common schools and gaining an intimate knowl- 
edge of the best methods of tilling the soil and 
caring for the crops. He was married when 
twenty years of age to Miss Martha Ann Cook, 
a native of Wayne county. New York, and 
thinking that he might have better business op- 
portunities in the middle west he came to Michi- 
gan, locating on the state line in Lenawee 
county. There he rented a tract of land and 
engaged in farming for a few years but later 
took up his abode in Shiawassee county, where 
he owned and operated a farm, there raising- 
one crop. He then leased the Dean farm for 
six years and subsequently removed to Laings- 
burg, where he resided for two years. I^ater he 



bought one hundred acres in Wateriown town- 
ship but subsequently .sold that and purchased 
an improx'ed farm of one hundred and forty 
acres on section 28, Victor township, where he 
now resides. He at once began the further de- 
\elupment of this property and in its manage- 
ment has shown thorough familiarity with the 
l)est methods of cultivating the soil and rais- 
ing stock. For several years, however, he has 
largely rented his land, which relieves him of 
much of the care and labor that developed upon 
him in connection with the cultivation of his 
farm. 

.\t the time of the Civil war Mr. Potter 
manifested his loyalty to the government by 
enlisting at Hudson, Branch county, in August. 
1862. He joined Battery I and went .south 
with the Flying Artillery. He participated in 
many engagements, including the battle at 
White Plains, .\rkan.sas, and the very hotly 
contested engagement at Gettysburg. Later he 
was sent to the hospital for four months but sub- 
seiiuently rejoined General Joe Hooker's com- 
mand and was in the battles of Lookout 
Mountain and Missionary Ridge. For four 
months the trops were under fire during almost 
every hour out of the twenty-four in the At- 
lanta campaign and after the capitulation of 
that city Mr. Potter returned with his command 
to Chattanooga, where the battery was recruited, 
and later went to Nashville, where occurred the 
last battle in which he took part. He served, 
however, until the close of the war when he 
was honorably discharged and mustered out at 
Detroit in August, 1865. His military record 
was a creditable one for he never faltered in 
the performance of any duty. 

Mr. Potter lost his first wife while living 
in Laingsburg, and in Shiawassee county on 
the 9th of December, 1894, he was married to 
Mrs. Lovisa Ann Kyte, nee Wallace, a native 
of Canada, and a daughter of Timothy Wal- 
lace. By her former marriage Mrs. Potter had 
five children: Ella L., the wife of Cyrus A. 
Coles, of Shiawassee county: .Arthur E., now 
in the state of Wyoming; Walter W.. of Shia- 
wassee county; William, ahso of Wyoming: and 
Tames Gordon, of South Omaha. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



261 



Mr. Putter was deeply ititerested in the 
questions wliich gave rise to the new republi- 
can party and cast his ballot for John C. Fre- 
mont as its first presidential candidate. He has 
never faltered in his allegiance to the support 
of that party from tliat time until the present 
but has lieen without ix)litical aspiration for 
himself. He Ijecame a member of Laingsburg 
lodge, I. O. O. F.. in wliich he has filled all of 
the chairs and is a past grand, while he and his 
wife are prominent members of the Rebekah 
lodge. His acquaintance in this part of the 
state is extensive and the position which he 
holds in public regard is enviable. He has 
lived a useful life, has fought for the old flag 
and the Union, and is one of the few surviv- 
ing soldiers, for the ranks of the army are be- 
ins: fast disseminated. 



E. A. CLISE. 



In his farm work E. A. Clise has prospered 
and has also conducted a successful business as 
a contractor and builder of Clinton county. 
He now owns and operates one hundred and 
forty acres of land on section 8, Bath township, 
and the value of the property makes him a sub- 
stantial resident of the community. .\ half 
century has passed since he came to Michigan 
and during thirty-seven years he has lived in 
Clinton county. His birth occurred in the 
town of Phelps, Ontario county. New York, 
on the -th of November, 1854, his parents 
being Frederick and Marguerite (Gordon) 
Cli.se. The father was born in Ontario county. 
New York, where he was rearefl to manhood 
and was married. In 1855 he removed to 
Michigan, settling first in Lenawee county, 
where he resided for a few years and subse- 
quently took up his abode in Isabella county. 
There he also lived for a few years, working 
in the forests, and in 1868 he came to Clinton 
county, jnirchasing and locating upon the fann 
where his son E. A. Clise now resides. He 
cut down the trees, cleared away the brush, 
grubbed out the stumps, sowed his seed and in 



due course of time gathered rich harvests, con- 
tinuing to make his home upon the farm until 
in old age, when he removed to the village of 
Bath, where he died in 1904, when alinost 
ninety years of age. His wife had passed away 
in 1899. They were the parents of twelve 
children, si.x sons and six daughters. Two of 
the .sons died while serving their country in 
the war of the Relxjilion and one died in Gal- 
\eston. Te.xas. while a daughter has also passed 
away. The others are still living. 

E. .\. Clise. brought to Michigan when only 
a year old. was largely reared in Clinton county 
and ])ursued his education in the district schools. 
He remained with his father through his 
minority and was afterward engaged for two 
years on the construction of the Texas Railroad 
w ith the department of bridge building. Later 
he returned home and here followed carpenter- 
ing, having learned the trade in early life. He 
has carried on business as a contractor and 
builder for twenty-five or thirty years, build- 
ing \arious houses and barns throughout the 
county. He also succeeded to the old home 
place, whereon he has erected a good residence, 
two barns, a granary and other buildings. His 
farm is supplied with modern equipments, in- 
clu<ling the latest improve<l machinery, and 
evervthing about the place indicates the careful 
supervision of a progressive owner, whose 
mediods are practical, so that sure and satis- 
factory results follow. 

In November. \R-C\ Mr. Clise was married 
to Miss Emma C. Ratchelder, who was bom 
in Bath township and is a daughter of S. 
Ratchelder, one of the early settlers of Clinton 
county, who came from New York. There are 
three children of this marriage: Watt L., a 
mail carrier of St. Johns, who is married; B. 
P>., wh(j is a soplurtuore in the .\gricultural Col- 
lege, at Tensing ; and Zella, a stenographer and 
ty])ewriter employed in .\nn .\rbor. 

For two terms Mr. Clise has served as high- 
way commissioner, elected on the democratic 
ticket. He is numbered among the old set- 
tlers of the county anti has dune much for its 
improvement and development, contributing in 
substantial measure to the work of progress 
here. Manv of the residences and bams of 



262 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



the coiiiitv show his haiKhwnrk. which is also 
displayed in the well tilled fields and the fine 
appearance of his tarm. 



CYRUS SHERMAN. 

Cvrns Sherman, m av living a retired life m 
Ovid, Clinton connty, Michigan, has through 
well directed actix'ity and enterprise in busi- 
ness achieved success and at the same time has 
attained to liigh honors in political service, 
rqjresenting his district in the state legislature 
and filling other offices, wherein he has demon- 
strated his loyalty to the public good. More- 
over, he has made a creditable military record 
and thus his life in its varied relations has 
commended him tn the confidence and respect 
of his fellowmen. 

.\ native of Onondaga county. New York, 
Mr. Sherman was born on the 30th of Sep- 
tember, 1841, his parents being Leonard and 
Anna (Whit ford) Sherman. The father was 
a native of Isle Lamotte, Vermont, while the 
mother was born at Crown ]'oint in Essex- 
county, New York. His natal day was Janu- 
ary 2-j, 1805, and he departed this life No- 
vember 8. 1858. while his wife, who was born 
March 24, 1804, died March 26, 1876. In 
their family were twelve children, of wh. an 
Cyrus was the ninth in order of birth, and 
those still living are George, Leonard. :\Ielvin, 
Henry. .\nn Eliza, Cyrus and Silas T. The 
surviving daughter is the wife of E. D. Horton. 

When thirteen years of age Cyrus Sherman 
accompanied his parents on their removal to 
Wisconsin and soon afterward he began earn- 
ing his own living by working as a farm hand 
by the mc:inth. His educational privileges up 
to that time were limited and desirous of ac- 
quiring broader knowledge as a better prepar- 
ation for his life's work, he entered Hillsdale 
College, of Hillsdale, Michigan, in the spring 
of i860, meeting the expenses of the course 
through his own labor. In December, 1861, 
however, he left college in order to join the 



armv. resixmdiug to the countrv's call for aid 
by enlisting as a member <if Company C, 
Elexenth Michigan \V)lunteer Infantry. He 
took part in fifteen hard fought Ijattles. includ- 
ing the siege of .\tlanta and the raid in .\la- 
liama after Morgan's guerillas. He was with 
General Harrison when he won his star at 
Peach Tree Creek. Being taken a prisoner he 
was incarcerated for a time in Libby prison btit 
when exchanged at once rejoined his regiment 
and was mustered out at Chattanooga, Ten- 
nessee, as orderly sergeant. December 9. 1864. 
His militarv record was a creditable one be- 
cau.se throughout the period of his connection 
with the arm\' he was always found at his post 
(if dut\- whether it called him to the lonely 
picket line or to the firing line. 

In December. 1865. Mr. Sherman look up 
his abode in 0\'id township, settling upon a 
new farm. The land was wild and unimproverl 
and he had to clear it before he could plant the 
crops and carry forward the work of cultiva- 
tion. This arduous task he capably performed, 
his labors being characterized l)y unremitting 
diligence and persistency of pur])ose and in the 
course of years as the result of his actix'c work 
on the farm he became the possessor of a \'ery 
gratifying com])etence. During this pericjd he 
was also called to iniblic office in recognition of 
his fidelity to his party and his capability for 
the duties of the various offices that were con- 
ferred upon him. He served at different times 
as highway commissioner, treasurer and su- 
pervisor. He was elected to the last mentioned 
office in 1889 by a majority of two hundred 
and forty and in 1900 he was re-elected. He 
was elected to represent Clinton county in the 
state legislature as the republican candidate in 
1888-9 '•''"' pnned an able working member of 
the general assembly. 

On the 27th of September. 1865. Mr. Sher- 
man was united in marriage to Miss Cyrene 
AI. .\dains, a daughter of James and Mary 
(Hazen) Adams, the former a native of Mas- 
sachu.setts and the latter of New York. Com- 
ing to Michigan they settled in Lenawee county, 
where they w^ere married. The father died in 
Litchfield, Hillsdale county, when forty years 



I? 




MRS. CYRUS SHERMAN. 




CYRUS shi:kma\. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



267 



of age. ami liis wife passed away in Ovid, at 
the age of sixty-four years. In 1900 Mr. and 
Mrs. Slicrman took up their aljode in Ovid, 
where lie is now living a retired life, his former 
lalxirs supplying him with all the comforts and 
many "\ the luxiunes that go to make life worth 
living, riiev adopted and reared two children, 
the daughter heing Cora Blackner, whom they 
took at the age of three years. She is now the 
wife of 1''. .\. I'ox, a druggist of Central Lake. 
Michigan, fnrnu-rly of Elsie, and they have two 
children. Homer S. and Muriel R. The 
adopted son was James C. V., who lived with 
them from the age of si.x until his death at the 
age of twenty-two years. 

Mr. Sherman belongs to George .\. Winans 
post, G. .\. R., of which he is now post com- 
mander, and he has ;dso teen the vice presi- 
dent of the Michigan .-\ssociation of Kx- 
Prisoners of War. lie is a man of generous 
impulses and kindly spirit. He devotes much 
of his time now to fishing and t<i the enjoy- 
ment of other outings with his friends, and Ids 
rest and pleasure are richly tleserved because 
of his iKMiorable aclivitv in former vears. 



NEWELl 



.\HK\-. 



Xewell Parker, who has a farm on section 
14, X'ictor tiiwnshi]). comprising one hundred 
and sixty-se\en acres of land, is a native son 
of the county, his birth having occurred in the 
township where he \ct resides on the 3d of 
July, i860. He is a son of John Parker and 
a brother of Epson Parker, who is mentioned 
elsewhere in this work and in whose history 
is given the record of the parents. Xewell 
Parker was reared in the usual manner of farm 
lads, working in the fields through the summer 
months and in the winter seasons attending the 
public schools, wherein he acquired a good 
practical eduaUion. He remained with his 
mother until he had attained his majority and 
succeeded to a part (if the old homestead, after 
which lie cleared bis land, built a home and 
opened u\) a farm. 1 le now li.is a splendidly 



improved property in the midst of w'hich stands 
a modern residence built of brick and two 
stories in height. There are also two good 
barns upon the place, a windpump and other 
modern eciuipments. Lie has likewise planted 
an orchard and made the farm w-hat it is to- 
day — one of the l)est improved properties of the 
localitv. The fields are entirely clear of 
stumps and rocks and there are over two miles 
of Page wire fencing on the place. In the 
pastures are seen g(xid grades of stock for he 
makes a s])ecialty of raising Shorthorn cattle, 
lie is an excellent judge of stock and there- 
fore makes judicious purchases and profitable 
sales. In even'thing that he does he is emi- 
nentlv practical and his methods have been 
attended with a gratifying measure of pros- 
perity. 

Mr. Parker was married, in Victor town- 
ship. January 3, 1 883, to Miss Carrie H. 
Beech, who was born in White Oak. Michigan, 
and is a daughter of John Beech, one of the 
e;uly settlers of Clinton county, mentioned 
elsewhere in this work, his home being on sec- 
tion 36, Victor town.ship. Mrs. Parker was 
reared and educated in this ])art of the county 
and bv her marriage has become the mother of 
four children but they lost one, Ralph, who 
died in infancy. Those still living are John 
R;ie. Edwinna and .\rthur Xewell. all at home. 

I'olitically independent Mr. Parker votes for 
men and measures rather than party. He was 
elected and served for one term as justice of 
the peace but has never desired public office. 
He and his wife are members of the Methodist 
I'^iiscopal church, in which Mr. Parker is serv- 
ing as a trustee, while for some years he has 
lieen superintendent of the Sunday-school, tak- 
ing an active and helpful part in lx)th the 
church and Sunday-school work. He belongs 
to the Ma.sonic fraternity of Laingsburg, and 
both he and his wife are members of the East- 
ern Star and also of the local Grange. He is 
a thorough and painstaking farmer, keeping his 
place in excellent condition and in business 
affairs displays keen sagacity and unfaltering 
enterprise. Through bis well directed efforts 
he has achieved success and moreover he is a 



268 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



worthy representative of one of the pioneer 
famihes of the county, while at all times he 
has done his full share toward promoting the 
material and moral progress of the community. 



SAMUEL BARRETT. 



Samuel Barrett, living on section 28, X'ictor 
township, is one of the substantial fanners of 
Clinton county, owning five hundred acres of 
valuable land which is the visible evidence of 
his life of thrift and industry. He has for 
more than forty years lived within the borders 
of Clinton county, witnessing its growth and 
development, while Michigan has been the place 
of his residence since 185 1. .K native of Ire- 
land, he was born in County Cavan, July 27, 
1841, his parents being John and Fannie (Por- 
ter) Barrett, both of whom were reared and 
educated in Ireland. The father followed the 
occupation of farming in that country and there 
the ten children of the family were born. Mrs. 
Barrett and her children came to the new world 
in 1844, landing at New York city, and for 
several years they resided in Brooklyn. Mr. 
Barrett disposed of his business interests in Ire- 
land before joining the family in Brooklyn, Imt 
believing tliat the west would afford better busi- 
ness opportunities he came to Michigan in 185 1, 
settling on a farm in the town of Commerce, 
Oakland county. The following year he bought 
a farm in the town of White Lake and thereon 
spent his remaining days, his death occurring 
about 1859. His wife survived him for a 
number of years and died in that locality. 

Samuel Barrett was reared to manhood in 
Oakland county and received common-school 
advantages but when thirteen years of age 
started out in life on his own account. He has 
since been dependent entirely upon his own re- 
sources, so that whatever success he has 
achieved and enjoyed is the direct result of his 
earnest labor. He worked for seven years by 
the month as a farm hand and dro\e a team of 
five }-oke of oxen to a breaking plow, thus turn- 
ing the sod upon many an uncultivated tract of 



prairie. It was an arduous task but was faith- 
fully performed by him and thus he gained his 
start in life. 

Mr. Barrett was married in Oakland county, 
Michigan, on the 25th of March, 1863, to Miss 
Sarah Sexton, a native of Illinois and a sister 
of Zephaniah and Job W. Sexton, who are men- 
tinned elsewhere in this work. After their mar- 
riage Mr. and Mrs. Barrett began their do- 
mestic life on a farm in Victor township. The 
original homestead comprised eighty acres, 
which he cultivated and improved, making it a 
productive tract by the care and labor he be- 
stowed on the fields. From time to time he 
bought more land until he owned a tract of 
over three hundred acres but later he sold that 
property and purchased his present home, first 
iDCComing the owner of two hundred and forty- 
eight acres. He has since, however, purchased 
a number of other tracts in Victor township 
and now owns about five hundred acres in the 
home place, constituting a productive and valu- 
able farm. It is lacking in none of the modern 
equipments and accessories which indicate the 
careful supervision of a painstaking owner. He 
has erected a good residence, also a large and 
substantial basement barn, granary and other 
outbuildings. The place is now very attractive 
in its appearance and its value has appreciated 
through the labor he has bestowed upon the 
fieUls. He has made a business of raising good 
graded stock and keeps a thoroughbred Clydes- 
dale horse for breeding purposes. He also buys 
and ships horses and is a business man of con- 
siderable discernment and enterprise. 

L^nto Mr. and Mrs. Barrett have been born 
nine children: Julia, born Januaiy 21, 1864, is 
the wife of Alda Watkins, of Morrice; Nora, 
l)orn Februaiy 17, 1866, is the wife of Loren 
Watkins, of Perry, Michigan: Anna, born June 
28, 1868, is the wife of Fred Skarrett, of \'ictor 
township; William, born Februarj' 11, 1870, is 
married and is engaged in business in Perry, 
this state: Zephaniah Sexton Barrett, born Alay 
3, 1872, assists his father in carrying on tlie 
home farm; Sadie, Iwrn July 14, 1875, occupies 
a business position in Perry; Maud, born De- 
cember 28. 1877, is the wife of Wing Waters, 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



269 



a farmer of the town of Perry: Lou, bom 
August 28, 1879, is in Morrice, Michisjan: and 
Millie, born January 26, 1881, is the wife of 
John Alcott, a business man of Perry. 

Since age gave him the right of franchise 
Mr. Barrett has never wavered in his allegiance 
to the democracy but while he keeps well in- 
formed on the questions and issues of the da\- 
he has never sought or desired office. He and 
his wife are memliers of the United P>rethren 
church, and for about twenty years he has been 
a member of the Odd Fellows society of 
Laingsburg. He likewise belongs to the Grange 
and was its chaplain for a number of years. 
He is one of Clinton county's prominent and 
prosperous farmers and a successful stock raiser 
and dealer. 



JOSEPH HESS. 



Joseph Hess, residing nn section 6, Duplain 
township, where he is giving his time and at- 
tention to general agricultural pursuits, has re- 
sided upon this farm of eighty acres since the 
5th of October, 1875. He is a native of Ohio, 
his birth having occurred in Knox county, on 
the 2d of September, 1838. His father, John 
Hess, was born in Pennsylvania in 1803 and 
before leaving his native state was married. 
His first wife died in Pennsylvania, leaving one 
child, and he afterward removed to Knox 
county, Ohio, where he married again. Miss 
Catherine Beech, a native of the Keystone 
state. I>ecoming his wife. Mr. Hess devoted 
his time and energies to farming in Knox 
count}' and there reared his family of twelve 
children. He was one of the worthy and re- 
spected citizens of the community and he at- 
tained to a ripe old age. passing away in 1885, 
while his second wife died about 1877. Their 
cliildren were Joseph, George. Joshua. Mrs. 
^lari.i Greenwood, Sarah, Sophia and Mary. 
There is also a half-brother. Michael Hess. 

Joseph Hess was reared in the state of his 
nativity, spending his boyhood and youth upon 
tlie home farm and on attaining his majority he 
started out upon an active business venture. 



working 1)\- the month as a farm hand for 
thirteen dollars per month. He considered it 
good pay at that time. He was employed for 
nine years in a linseed oil mill and thus largely 
made advancement in the businesss world, 
largely saving his earnings until his capital 
made ])ossible the purchase of a farm. 

On the iith of December, 1873. in Knox 
county. Mr. Hess was united in marriage to 
Miss Amanda IMyers. who was born and 
reared in that county. Tn 1874 he came to 
Michigan and purchased his present farm, of 
which nine acres had been cleared and a log 
cabin built thereon. He located on this prop- 
ert\ in 1S73 .ind at c-ince began to clear the 
land and fence and improve the place. He now 
has about seventy acres mider the plow and 
this is divided into well kept fields all cleared 
of stumps. He built a good residence and barn 
and in fact has added all modern equipments 
to his ])lace. which in its neat and attractive ap- 
])earance indicates in unmistakable way the 
enteq^rise and careful management of the 
owner, who is now profitably conducting his 
farm interests. He also raises stock and both 
branches of his business arc returning him a 
go<id income. 

Mr. and Mrs. Hess have three living chil- 
dren : Stella, the wife of Charles Galehouse, a 
mechanic of Isabella county. Michigan : Ger- 
tnide. the wife of William Wright, a farmer 
of Duplain to\\nship: and Minnie F... the wife 
of \'irgil Wright, who is living upon her 
father's farm. They also lost two children. 
.\rthur and Henry, who died at the ages of 
eight and seven years resjiectively within three 
days of each other, the disease being diph- 
theria. Mr. Hess and his family are members 
of the Evangelical church and he aftiliates with 
Eureka lodge. T. O. O. F. Politically, how- 
ever, he is independent, \oting for the best 
men regardless of party allegiance. He has 
sened as drain commissioner for two years but 
has never been active as an office seeker, find- 
ing that his farming interests fully claim his 
time and attention. In all of his work he is 
eminently practical and is making steady prog- 
ress toward the goal of prosperity, being 



270 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



already in possession of a desirable compe- 
tence that has come to him entirely through 
his earnest labor. 



WILLIAM CHAPLIN. 

William Chaplin, the secret of whose suc- 
cess is found in earnest, self-denying labor, now 
owns a good farm of one hundred and twenty 
acres on sections 19 and 30. Watertown town- 
ship, and lives retired in Wacousta. He is 
native of England, where he remained until 
twenty vears of age. His birth occurred on 
the 25th of February, 1835, his parents being 
Charles and Sarah (Cotterel) Chaplin, who al- 
ways remained residents of the mother country'. 
\Villiam Chaplin was only tliree years old when 
his mother died. He spent the days of his boy- 
hood and youth in his native land and is the 
onlv one ni the family lliat ever came to Amer- 
ica. In 1855 he crossed the Atlantic and for 
eight vears was a resident of the state of New 
York, (luring wJiicli time he was employed by 
the month as a farm hand. He then came to 
Clinton county, IMicliigan, and settled on eighty 
acres of wild land on section 19, Watertown 
township. He then began farming on his own 
account and !i\ed on his original property until 
1896, \\-hen he removed to Wacousta, where he 
is now living a retired life, enjoying in well 
earned ease the fruits of his former toil. Hard 
work has been the Itasis of his success and as the 
years have gone by he has so directed his 
efforts that he is now one of the substantial citi- 
zens of the coninumity. He had little oppor- 
tunity for acquiring an education and thus with- 
out the advantage of superior mental training 
or pecuniary assistance he has worked his way 
steadily upward. 

Mr. Chaplin was married in 1864 to Miss 
Elizabeth Warlio\'s. a daughter of Thomas 
Warboys, of England, who on coming to 
America settled first in New York and then 
removed to Michigan. Six children have been 
bom of this union: Emma, now the wife of 
Henr}' Brown and a resident of Grand Ledge, 



IMicliigan; Louisa, the wife of Oscar Garlock, 
of Oneida township, Eaton county; Esther, the 
wife of Loren Dayton, of Watertown town- 
ship; John T., of Oneida township, Eaton 
county; Charles, who is living in Watertown 
township; and Henry C, also of Oneida town- 
ship. The wife and mother died in 1898, at 
the age of sixty-seven years, and in December, 
1899, Mr. Chaplin was again married, his sec- 
ond union l^eing widi Mary J. Fales, of Van 
Buren county, Michigan, a daughter of Philip 
R. Weaver, of Newark, ^Vayne county. New 
York. Her father was a boot and shoe dealer 
in early manhood and afterward engaged in 
farming until his death, which occurred in 
1878, when he was sixt}--one years of age. His 
wife, who bore the maiden name of Elizabeth 
Knapp, lived to the age of fifty-three years. 
]\Irs. Cliaplin. their only daughter, was edu- 
cated in the Ladies' Seminary, at Newark. New 
York, and received a good musical education in 
Sherwood's Musical .\cademy, at Lyons, that 
state. She comes of a family of musicians and 
is a lady of suijerior culture and refinement. 
She still keeps in touch with musical progress, 
has successfully engaged in teaching music and 
has played before large assemblages, being a 
valued factor in musical circles in this part of 
the state. 

j\Ir. Chaplin has served in some minor oftices 
such as sciiool director and o\erseer of high- 
ways but has preferred to give his undivided at- 
tention to his l)usiness affairs and as the j'ears 
have gone 1)V has so directed his labors that his 
efforts have been crowned with prosperity. His 
life has lieen honorable, his actions manly and 
sincere and to-day he is numbered among the 
re])resentalive citizens of Clinton county. 



WILLARD KING. 



Willard King, wlio for many years has ijeen 
connected with agricultural pursuits in Clinton 
county, and in earlier years took an active and 
helpful part in the work of substantial im- 
pro\enient and development in this section of 




MR. AND MRS. WILLIAM CHAPLIN. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



273 



the state, was born January 8, 1821, in Monroe 
county, New York. In the paternal hne he 
comes frnm an old Massachusetts family. Hi-- 
parents were David and Electa (McKee) 
King, both natives of Otsego, New York, 
where they spent their entire lives. The Mc- 
Kee family came originally from Connecticut. 
Mr. and Mrs. King had six children, of whom 
four are living: Loren, a resident of Lockport. 
New York ; Willard. of this review ; Mary, the 
wife of Daniel Maynard, of Kenosha, Wiscon- 
sin; and George E., who is living in W'ater- 
town township. 

Willard King spent the days of his bnyhrmd 
and youth in the state of his nativitx' but at- 
tracted by the possibilities of the great and 
growing west he came to Michigan in 1845, 
making the journey by way of the lakes to De- 
troit and thence walking to Watertown town- 
ship. After purchasing forty acres of land he 
returned to New York, and in 1847 he was 
married and t(X)k up his abode permanently in 
this countv. He located first in h'agle town- 
ship and afterward bought one hundred acres 
on section 22. W'atertown township, where he 
now resides. It was then in the midst of an 
unbroken wilderness and Lansing was his 
nearest trading point, while his mail was se- 
cured at Jenison postoffice in Eagle township. 
He has resided continuously upon the farm 
with the exception of five years s]ient in Lan- 
sing, three years of which time he had charge 
of the reform school, while for two years he 
was engaged in merchandising. His labors 
wrought a wonderful transformation in this 
place as he cut down the timber, cleared the 
fields and brought the land to a high state of 
cultivation. His original home was a log cabin 
which in pioneer times was destroyed by fire, 
the family barely escaping with their lives. 
Mr. King did not allow this loss to discourage 
him liut with renewed courage and energy set 
to work to provide another home for his fam- 
ily and as the years have gone by he has in an 
active business career overcome all the diffi- 
culties and obstacles that have barred his path 
to success, so that now in the evening of life 
he is possessed of a handsome competence that 



supplies him with the comforts and many of 
the luxuries that go to make life worth the 
living. In 1885 he erected a modern house of 
l)rick and he has also built good barns on his 
place. In fact it is a well equipped property 
aufl in its thrifty appearance gives every indi- 
cation of the careful supervision of the owner. 

Mr. King is a representative of the sturdy 
pioneer stock of Clinton county and feels just 
pride in the growth and development of his 
locality and township through these years. 
Man-elous have been the changes that have 
I>cen wrought for the county is to-day pro- 
\ided with splendid railroad, telegraph and 
telephone facilities, with mral free delivery 
and with all the modern equipments and con- 
veniences known to the older east. He was in- 
strumental in laying out many roads in an 
early day and took an active and helpful part 
in township affairs, being always found on the 
side of progress and improvement. 

In 1846 Mr. King was united in marriage to 
Miss Edna Lowell, a daughter of a Mr. Lowell, 
of Orleans county. New York, who came to 
Clinton coimty and located near the home of 
Mr. King, sjiending his remaining da_\-s here. 
I'nto oiir subject and his wife have been born 
three children : Benjamin P.. the eldest, living 
in W'atertown township, married Miss Sarah 
H.'inimel. a daughter of the late B. F. Ham- 
mel. of Watertown township. He owns a 
farm known as the Lovell property besides the 
one upon which our subject now resides. 
Frances become the wife of R. N. Lee, of 
Watertown. H. Meloa has for seventeen years 
been a teacher in the district and high schools. 

In politics Mr. King has been a stanch re- 
publican since casting his first presidential bal- 
lot for John C. Fremont. He has served as 
highway commissioner, also as deputv sheriff 
of Clinton county for four years under Sheriff 
McDonald. He served on the jury in Clinton 
county when court was held at Dewitt and his 
name is inseparably interwoven with many of 
the early events of the county that find men- 
tion in the annals of this part itf the state. For 
almost sixty years he has owned his present 
farm and it has become a valuable property. 



2 74 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



owing to the care and labor he has bestowed 
upon it. Moreover he has done his full share 
in promoting the work of public progress and 
improvement. He has now passed the eighty- 
fourth milestone on life's journey and receives 
the veneration and respect which should ever 
be accorded one of his years for his life record 
has at all times been honorable and upright. 



EPSON PARKER. 



The student of history can not carry his in- 
vestigation far intfi the records of Clinton 
county without learning of the close and valu- 
able connection of the Parker family in promot- 
ing the progress and upbuilding of Victor 
township and this section of the state. Epson 
Parker of this review was reared on the old 
fami homestead on section 14, Victor town- 
ship, and few residents of the county have so 
long resided within its borders for he dates his 
residence in the county since June, T837. having 
been brought to Michigan in his infancy. He 
was born in Seneca county, New York, April 
18, 1836, and is a son of John Parker, who was 
a native of New Jersey, born in 1803. Tlie 
grandfather, Jonathan Parker, was likewise a 
native of New Jersey, and the family is of Eng- 
li.sh lineage, the first ancestors in America hav- 
ing settled in New Jersey at an early period in 
its colonization. 

John Parker removed from his native state 
to New York with his mother and the family 
and was reared to manhood in Seneca county. 
There, after arriving at years of maturity, he 
wedded Sarah Cronkite, who was a native of 
that county and came of German lineage. He 
followed farming in Seneca county for some 
years and in 1837 '^^ removed westward to 
Michigan, Ijeing among the first settlers of Vic- 
tor township, Clinton county. His first pur- 
chase of land covered eighty acres, which he 
bought from William Swarthout, who came 
with the Parkers from New York. John 
Parker cleared and fenced his place, erected 
buildings there and opened up a farm, and tak- 



ing advantage of existing business conditions 
and making the most of his opportunities as the 
years passed b)- he became an extensive land- 
owner, having several himdred acres. He was 
one of the prosperous and well-to-do agricul- 
turists of CHnton county and his labors were 
not only of value to himself but proved a help- 
ful element in the reclamation of this district 
for the use of civilization. His death occurred 
here July 4, 1863, when he was sixty years of 
age. His wife svu"vived him for a number of 
years and passed away in 1902, at the ripe old 
age of nearly eighty-seven years. At the death 
of her husband Mrs. Parker took charge of the 
farms and die business. She possessed superior 
business qualifications and energy, paid off all 
indeljtedness and carried on the work of im- 
pro\ement. thus greatly enhancing the value 
of his property. She was well known through- 
out Clinton and adjoining counties for her ex- 
cellent business ability as well as for her many 
womanly qualities that endeared her to all who 
knew her. 

Epson Parker was brought to Michigan 
during his infancy and was reared upon the 
old homestead in Victor township, being the 
eldest son of the family. He assisted his father 
to clear and improve the farm and remained 
under the parental roof until he had attained 
his majority. He early became familiar with 
the arduous task of developing new land so 
that he thoroughly understood what he was un- 
dertaking when he tegan to clear and cultivate 
a farm of his own. He commenced with one 
hundred and twenty acres situated in the midst 
of a large forest tract and the sound of the 
woodman's ax soon indicated that the monarchs 
of the forest were falling before his sturdy 
strokes. Thus acre after acre was cleared and 
when the brush had lieen burned and the stumps 
taken out he plowed his land and fenced the 
fields, thus opening up an excellent farm. He 
began life there in a .small frame house but as 
the years passed by and prosperity attended his 
efforts he built a large, commodious and at- 
tractive residence. He also built two good 
barns on the place and not only planted orchards 
but also set out shade and ornamental trees. 




MRS. EPSON PARKER. 




EPSON PARKER. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



279 



He bought and had at one time over three liun- 
dred acres of land but lias since given some of 
this to his chiklren although he still retains tlie 
ownership of one hundred and eighty acres. In 
connection witli general farming lie has car- 
ried on stock-raising, making a specialty of the 
breeding of Percheron horses for thirty years. 
He is well known as a dealer in this kind of 
stock throughout his part of the state and has 
owned many fine animals which he has sold for 
good prices. 

In Victor township, on the 24th of January, 
1859, occurred the marriage of Ep.son Parker 
and Miss Julia .\. Cotes, a native of the state 
of New York and a daughter of David S. 
Cotes, who was one of the early settlers of 
Clinton county. Mrs. Parker came to Michi- 
gan with her parents when a child and was 
reared and educated in Clinton county. Seven 
children have lieen iKim of this marriage, the 
eldest l)eing Re\-. .\i. W. Parker, who is a 
minister of the United Brethren church, now 
located at Charlotte. Michigan. Jesse F. and 
Emeiy L. arp following farming in X'ictor 
township. Emma is the wife of John Kemp, 
an agriculturist of the same township. Nellie 
is the wife of Milo J. Crane, a farmer of \'ic- 
tor townshi]). and J. D. is likewise a farmer of 
Victor township. The suns and son-in-law all 
own gixnl and well equipped farms. Mr. and 
Mrs. Parker lost their youngest child, R. D. 
Parker, who died at the age of eight months. 

Politically Mr. Parker has lieen a lifelong 
republican, casting his first presidential ballot 
for John C. Fremont in 1856. He has voted 
for each nominee of the party and is in thor- 
ough .sympathy with its principles but has never 
cared for or desired nffice for himself. He was. 
however, elected and served as commissioner 
of higliways, filling the office for a numlier of 
years, and for some years he was a member of 
the school board, the cause of education find- 
ing in him a warm and helpful friend. He is 
regarded as the oldest resident of Clinton 
county in years of continuous connection with 
this section of the state for his home has been 
in Victor township for sixty-eight years. Great 
changes have occurred and he has witnessed 
18 



the wonderful transfonnation and growth of 
this section of the state until the county to-day 
bears a little resenil)lance to the district to 
which he was brought in his infancy. Where 
are now seen waving fields of grain once stood 
the native forest and along other lines of im- 
provement progress has been carried forward 
until the residents of Clinton count)' have every 
reason to be proud of her advantages, for it 
has become inhabited by a prosperous people 
who have secured to themselves all the ad- 
vantages of the older east. F]).son Parker as a 
pioneer citizen well deserves mention in this 
volume and in fact no history of this county 
would be complete without the reconl of his 
life. 



HARRY D. SOUAIR. .M. D. 

.Among the younger nK-tnl)ers of the med- 
ical fraternity in St. Johns is Dr. Harry D. 
S(|uair, who was liom in Bowmanville. On- 
tario, on the "th of March. 1874, his parents 
lieing Francis M. and Delilah ( Gififon) Squair, 
who were likewise nati\es of Ontario, whence 
they came to St. Johns in 1882. The father 
was for a number of years active in commer- 
cial circles here, conducting a meramtile en- 
ter])rise. but is now retired. He is descended 
from Scotch ancestry, while the Giffons were 
originall}- of Ciemian descent, representatives 
of the name emigrating from the fatherland to 
Canada. Mr. and Mrs. Squair have had one 
daughter, Minnie, now the wife of Fred E. 
Swain, of Bingham township, Clinton county. 

Dr. Squair. the only son. was a student in 
the ])ublic and high schools of St. Johns prior to 
his prei)aratioii for the profession which he 
chose as a life work. He pursued his medical 
course in the Michigan College of Medicine 
and Surgery at Detroit, in which he was grad- 
uated with the class of 1897. and the same 
year he located for practice in this city, where 
he has since remained. That he has retained 
his residence here for eight years is an indica- 
tion that he has enjoyed a paying business. 
He was elected health officer of St. Johns in 



28o 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



1898 and 3'et continues in that office, while in 
his private practice he is meeting w ith merited 
success. 

Dr. Squair exercises his right of franchise 
in support of the men and measures of tlie 
republican party and is a valued representa- 
tive of various civic societies, including the 
Knights of Pythias and Masonic fraternities, 
the Maccabees tent and the Modern Wood- 
men cam]), all of St. Johns. He was happily 
married Octolier 10. 1900, to Miss Marie Ol- 
cott, a daughter of the late Charles Olcott, of 
Port Henr)-, New York, who prior to her 
marriage was a capable teacher in the public 
schools of St. Johns, her native culture and re- 
finement entitling her to the desirable position 
which is accorded her in social circles of this 
citv. 



WILLIAM KEMP. 



William Kemp, living on section 18. Leba- 
non township, is a well known representativr 
of agricultural interests in this part of the 
state. His farm work makes heavy demands 
upon his time and his Inisiness ability is dem- 
onstrated by the success which attends him in 
the operation of his home farm of one hun- 
dred and one acres and also in the cultiva- 
tion of another farm of eighty acres on 
section 5. Lebanon township. Born in Ross 
township. Kalamazoo county. Michigan, on the 
i8th of Februar}^ 1844, he is a son of Alfred 
Kemp, a native of England. The paternal 
grandfather. George Kemp, emigrated with 
his family to the new world and settled at Gen- 
esee Flats in the state of New York. The son 
Alfred was then a lad of thirteen years and he 
was reared in Genesee county, where he re- 
mained until he came to ^Michigan, settling in 
Kalamazoo county. He entered and traded 
for several sections of land which he cleared 
and transformed into a good farm and after- 
ward gave eighty acres of land to each of his 
sons. He was married in Kalamazoo county 
to Miss Marv Tones, a native of Pennsvlvania. 



wh( ) was reared in Michigan. Mr. Kemp later 
sold his ])roperty there and removed to Clinton 
county, where he purchased a place on which 
was a small house Imt few other improve- 
ments. He began to clear and develop that 
farm and carried on agricultural pursuits for a 
numlier of years, but eventually removed to 
Greenville, where his last days were passed. He 
died there about igoo. His wife still survives 
him and yet resides in Greenville. In their 
family were four sons and four daughters, of 
whom four are yet living, namely : W^illiam, of 
this review: Frederick, a resident of Brown 
county. South Dakota; Oliver, who makes his 
home in Chicago: and Ernest, who is living 
in Greenville. Michigan. 

No event of special importance occurred to 
vary the routine of farm life for William 
Kemp in his boyhood days. His youth was 
passed in Clinton and Kalamazoo counties and 
he aided in clearing and developing the farm 
whereon he now resides. Much arduous toil 
was required to accomplish the task and he 
gained therefrom the experience that enables 
him now to carefully conduct his farming in- 
terests and gain thereby the prosperity which 
is the goal of all business endeavor. In De- 
cember. 1862, he joined the Seventh Michigan 
Cavalr}- as a private and participated in about 
thirty battles of the Civil war, including the 
engagements at Cedar Creek. Cold Harbor, 
Winchester and the Wilderness. He sustained 
some slight wounds and was ill in the hospital 
for a short time. He served until after the 
close of the war and then went across the 
plains to aifl in the subjugation of the Indians. 
There in the far west the troops were mus- 
tered out and no transjiortation was furni.shed 
them, although they were fifteen hundred miles 
from home. Mr. Kemp then returned to 
Jackson. Michigan, and was honorably dis- 
charged in the fall of 1865. 

On reaching home he took up the work of 
the farm and later purchased a tract of land in 
Kalamazoo county, where he carried on gen- 
eral agricultural pursuits for a few years. He 
then sold out and located on the old home- 
stead, where be has erected a good residence 
and granary. He has also fenced the place and 




FOUR GENERATIONS OF THE PARKER FAMILY. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



283 



carried on tlie work of improving' liis fanii 
along modern lines until he now has a well de- 
veloped and valuable property. 

On the 22(\ of Seiitemlwr. 1S74, in Lebanon 
township. Mr. Keiu]) was united in marriage 
to Miss Clara E. Tyler, who was !)orn and 
reared in Xew "S'ork. In the family were four 
children, but two died of di])htheria. William 
J. and (Irace, aged nine and seven years re- 
s])ecti\ely. The\- passed away within a few 
days of each other. Man- E., the eldest mem- 
ber of the family, is now the wife of Frederick 
P.rayton. of Ionia county, Michigan, and 
]*>nest is assisting in carrying on the home 
farm. 

Politicall}- Mr. Kemp has l)een a lifelong 
republican, never faltering in his allegiance to 
the partv since casting his first presidential 
ballot for Abraham Lincoln while serving in 
the L'nion army, lie is a .Master Mason of 
Hubbarrlston lodge and also Iwlongs to the 
Crand .\rniy Post at that ])lace. while his wife 
holds membership in the Woman's Relief 
Cor])s there. His entire life has been ])assed 
in Michigan and for nearly fifty years he has 
lived in Clinton couiUy, so that he is one of the 
early settlers as well as one of the honored few 
remaining veterans of the Civil war. .\ man 
of integrity and worth he enjoys the good will 
and confidence of those who know him and the 
circle of his friends has constantly broadened 
as the circle of his acf|uaintance has been in- 
creased. 



JOHN r.. DODGE. M. D. 

Dr. John B. Dodge, practicing along mod- 
ern scientific lines in St. Johns, was born in 
Windsor, Dane county, Wisconsin. March 22. 
1858. a son of Nathan aufl Mary (Carpenter") 
Dodge, the former a natixc of New York and 
the latter of Ohio. After their marriage they 
settled in Wisconsin, where the father, who 
was a mechanic, carried on business for a time 
but removed to Ohio when the Doctor was 
eight years of age and was engaged in business 
at Put-in-Bav until his death, which occurred 



in October. 1869. when he was forty-seven 
\ears of age. His widow, long surviving him, 
departed this life .\pril 26, igoi. In their 
family were eight children, of whom the fol- 
lowing are living: Ellen, the widow of Leroy 
Webster and now a practicing physician at 
Put-in-Ray, Ohio: Jennie, the wife of James 
11. Crowley, of St. Louis, Missouri; Lt>uis C, 
who is li\iug at Middle Bass Island, Ohio; 
l-".lliott J., who is a captain on the Great Lakes 
and resides at Put-in-Bay; Emma, the wife of 
Louis -M. Edmeston. of Los Angeles, Califor- 
ni;i. and John B. Of those who are deceased 
E.dith L., who was the yoimgest of the family, 
died in Los Angeles. California, and Henry 
died at the age of seven years, while the others 
died in infanc>\ 

Dr. Dodge accjuired his early education in 
the public schools of Put-in-Bay and afterward 
attended the high school at Olnistead Falls. 
Ohio. He then pursued a course in Oberlin 
College, and his professional training was re- 
ceived in the University of Michigan, which 
he entered in 1877. being graduated from the 
homeo])athic medical deijartment in the class 
of 1880. He entered upon practice in Ba.scom, 
Ohio, where he remained for a year and a half, 
after which he spent nine years in Mason, 
Michigan. He sold his practice there in 1889. 
after which he ])ursued a ])ost-graduate course 
in the Hahnemann Medical College, of Chi- 
cago, and also Brandt's course in artificial sur- 
gery. Seeking a location in the west he settled 
at Oni.iha. Nebraska, where he practiced for a 
year, and in 1892 returned to Michigan and 
has since been a member of the medical fra- 
ternity at St. Johns, with a constantly growing 
business, which is indicatixe of the confidence 
and tnist reposed in his professional abilit}- by 
the general public. He has been both county 
])hysician and health officer for St. Johns and 
is a meml)er of the Clinton Comity Medical So- 
ciet}-. 

Dr. Dodge belongs to the Knights of 
Pythias fraternity, the Royal .\rcanum and 
the Foresters. He was married in .\ugust. 
1892, to Miss Marion E. Hodges, a daughter 
of Hiram H. Hodges, of Tngliam countv. and 



284 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



a lady of superior culture and refinement, whu 
is now a teacher of piano, voice adture and 
harmony. She was a pupil of Professor C. B. 
Sheffler, of Albion College, also studied with a 
pupil of Madame Marchesi. of Paris, and is a 
graduate of the Chicago Musical College. She 
teaches with marked success Dr. Mason's new 
system of "touch and technic" for piano and 
Madame Marchesi's method for voice. She 
has taught for about seventeen years and is a 
most competent instructor of the art. 



FRKDliRlCK \V. AINSLIE. 

Frederick W. Ainslie is a self-made man. 
whose success has come entirely through his 
own labors, his persistency of purpose and 
sound business judgment. He is numl)ered 
among Michigan's native sons, his birth hav- 
ing occurred in Oakland county, on the 29th 
of January, 1852. The family is of English 
lineage, the grandfather, came direct from 
England to the new world, taking up his abode 
in the state of New York. There his son, 
Hiram Ainslie, was born, and after his mar- 
riage to Miss !\Iary Eamb he came to Michi- 
gan. His wife was also a native of the Em- 
pire state and she. t<x), was of English descent. 
They settled in Oakland county, where they 
resided until i8C)_^, when they came to Clinton 
county, taking up their abode on section 16. 
W'atertown township. Thev removed to the 
count\- line about twenty-eight \'ears ago and 
later located on section 29, W'atertown town- 
ship, where they spent their remaining days, 
the father i)assing awav in T902. at the very 
advanced age of eighty-three years, while his 
wife died in 1898. at the age of seventy-nine 
years. They were the parents of two sons 
and two daughters: Fernando, living" in Har- 
l)or Siirings. Michigan: Fred W.: Helen, the 
wife of John C. Clark, of Grand Ledge. Mich- 
igan : and Emma, the wife of Lawrence Smith, 
of .^ntrim county. Michigan. 

Frederick ^\^ Ainslie pursued a district- 
school education and afterward attended the 



Lansing Business College. He has devoted 
his entire life to farming with the exception 
of one term spent as a teacher. He then began 
business ft)r him.self and soon had accumulated 
a capital of four hundred and fifty dollars. He 
was employed in various ways until he pur- 
chased a interest in a farm on section 32, 
\\ atertown township. Later he sold out there 
and bought his present farm on section 29, 
\\'atertown township, in 1876. There were 
])atches of timber on the place but these have 
been cleared away and his land has l)een trans- 
formed into highly cultivated fields. In 1894 
he erected a good l:)arn and in T903 built a fine 
residence. This is indeed a model home, one 
of the best in the township. He has improved 
his land and although he had nothing but a 
\oke of cattle and a small outfit when he set- 
tled upon this place he has to-day a well 
equi])])ed and well stocked farm, supplied with 
all modern con^•eniences. The fields return 
good harvests for the care and lal>ir he be- 
stows upon them and he is now enjoying a 
gratifying measure of prosperity. 

In 1873 Mr. .\inslie was married to Miss 
May Boylan. a daughter of William Boylan, 
of W'atertown township. Her mother bore the 
maiden name of Fannie Fitzsimmons. Mr. 
and Mrs. Ainslie now have a son and daugh- 
ter, Claude antl Mabel, both at home. In poli- 
tics he is a republican and is now serving for 
the fourth term as highway commissioner. He 
has been moderator for nine years of Star 
school district. No. 5. in ^^'atertown township 
and is interested in all that ]iertains to public 
lirogress and improvement in his locality, giv- 
ing loval support to every measure that has 
as its liasis the l)enefit of township or county. 



CHARLES L. AVERY. 

Charles L. .\very. who carries on farming 
operations on section 36. Westphalia township, 
in a profitable, progressive and practical man- 
ner, is a native of Lucas county. Iowa, his natal 
dav being June 5. 1854. His parents were 





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FREDI'.RKK \V. AIXSLIE. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



287 



Sumner and Harriet ( Holhmok) Avery, the 
former a native of Massachusetts and tlie lat- 
ter of Vermont. Tiie fatlier \v;is a farmer liy 
occupation and wlicn tliirty years of ag-e left 
the old Bay state and removed to Lorain 
county. Ohio, whence in 1852 he went to Iowa. 
The year 1865 witnessed his arrival in Clinton 
county. Michigan, and, taking u]) his abode in 
l-lagle township, he there made his hnnie I'ntil 
his death, which occurred in iS()8. when he 
reached the veneraljle age of eig'hty-t<>ur years. 
In politics he was a st.anch re])ul)lican and 
voted for .\hrahani I.inciln. He was ])rnini- 
nent. active and helpful in church work, hold- 
ing memhershi]) in the hree Methodist denom- 
ination, and he lived an honorable, upright life. 
His wife still survives him at the age of sev- 
enty-eight years. In their faniil\- were ten 
children, of whom the following are still liv- 
ing: V. W. who resides in luigle townsbi]); 
Jane, the wife of A. F. Williams, of Westpha- 
lia townshiii : Charles L., of this review: 
Aaron, a resident of Lansin.g, Michig;m : Sum- 
ner F., an agTiculturist of Eagle township: 
Ada. the wife of Edgar Wilkins, of Eagle 
township, and I^ira, who completes the family. 
Tiiose who have departed this life are Cedeiia. 
Harriet and Emma. 

In the district scho<ils Charles L. .\very 
mastered the branches of learning which 
equii)ped liim for life's practical and responsi- 
ble duties, and ujjon the home farm remained 
until twenty-one years of age. when, starting out 
in life on his own account, he returned to Iowa, 
where he remained for a year and a half. He 
then came again to Michigan and for seven years 
worked at the carpenter's trade, after which he 
turned his attention to farming. locating on his 
present farm on section 36. \\'est])halia town- 
ship, in 1884. Here he has one hundred and 
sixty acres of land, but he began with only 
thirty-nine acres. He built a comfortable 
house in igoi and a good modern barn, with 
cement basement, in 1895. and altogether has 
a well improved and valuable farm. 

In 1882 Mr. .\very was married to Miss Ida 
M. Howe, a daughter of Daniel and Catherine 
Howe, of New York. Thev now have six 



children: label C. Earl 1).. P>ei-t H., Lena, 
Hazel and Minerva. 

When twenty-one years of age Mr. Avery 
starte<l out in life on his own account with a 
capital of only fifty cents and all that he has 
since ac(|uire(l has come as the reward of his 
own labor and dili,gence. He is ambitious and 
enteqjrising. forms his plans readily and is de- 
termined in their execiition and these com- 
mendable traits constitute the basis of his 
success. He came into possession of land cov- 
ered with brush and has converted it into a 
good farm. He is an independent voter and 
has filled some school offices but is without ])o- 
litical asi)iration, ])referrin.g to .give his undi- 
vided .'ittention to liis business interests, w'hich. 
ca])al)ly managed, have brought to hiiu a com- 
fortable comi)etence. 



(iEOR(;E W. I-OX. 



( leorge \\ . b'ox is the owner of three well 
improved f.'irms near Maple R.'ipids, compris- 
in.g seven hundred acres, lyin.g in Clinton and 
Gratiot counties. Ci>ming to Michigan from 
the Empire state, he was born in Ontario 
county. New York, January 14, 1842, spent 
the davs of his l)oyhood and \()Uth there and 
was educated in the common schools, Mr. 
T"ox caiue to Michigan in 1860, .going 
first to Kent county, where he o])erated a farm 
on the shares. For seven years he was identi- 
fied with agricultural interests there but in the 
meantime he resixmded to the country's call 
for aid. enlisting December 14. i8fii. as a 
member of Company C. Thirteenth Michi.gan 
Infantry, for three years' ser\-ice. On Septem- 
ber 12. 1862. however, he was discharged on 
account <if physical disability He had par- 
ticipated in the battle of Shiloh and in several 
skirmishes and was afterward in the hospital 
at Nashville. Tennessee, being ill with typhoid 
fever. He was then discharged and returned 
to Kent county. Michigan, where he residcil 
until 1867, when he came to Clinton county 
and IxHight a farm of eightv acres. This he 



288 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



improved and later he sold the propert\-. set- 
tling in Gratiot county, where he engaged in 
the stock business. He began to buy and ship 
stock and continued for four years in that busi- 
ness. On the expiration of that period he pur- 
chased a farm of two hundred and forty acres 
in Gratiot county, where he carried on general 
agricultural pursuits for four years, when he 
sold the property for ten thousand dollars. He 
next bought a farm in Clinton county and in 
1883 took up his alxide here. 

About this time Mr. Fox was united in mar- 
riage to Mrs. Laura M. Benedict, a widow, who 
was born in Ohio but was reared in Michigan 
and engaged in teaching school for several 
years in this state. She first married George 
Benedict, who was a farmer and died in this 
county in 1880. After their marriage Mr. and 
Mrs. Fox located on the Benedict farm and in 
connection 'with the tilling of the soil he en- 
gaged in stock raising, making a specialty of 
sheep. He afterwards bought more land from 
time to time and now owns three farms, two 
lying in Clinton county and one in Gratiot 
county. All are well improved and valuable 
properties. He likewise has a good residence 
in Maple Rapids, where he has resided for 
fifteen years. His holdings indicate his life of 
enterprise, careful management and keen busi- 
ness discernment. He has carefully conducted 
his farming and stock-raising interests as the 
years have gone by and to-day is one of the 
substantial citizens of the county with large 
and \aluable land holdings. 

On the 23d of April. 1894. ^Ir. Fox was 
called upon to mourn the loss of his wife. Bv 
her former marriage she had one son, Charles 
L. Benedict, who owns and operates the old 
Benedict farm. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Fo.x was 
l)orn a daughter, \^era. who is now acting as 
her father's housekeeper. 

Politically Mr. Fox is a stalwart republican 
and while never a politician in the sense of 
office seeking he has always kept well informed 
on the questions and issues of the dav. He be- 
longs to the ^Masonic fraternity at Maple 
Rapids and is a man of genial disposition and 
many excellent traits of character who has won 



the friendship of many with whom he has 
come in contact. He has been a resident of 
Michigan for forty-five years and has been 
identified with Clinton county as one of its 
successful business men and prosperous farm- 
ers. He has helped to improve and develop a 
number of good farms in this part of the state 
and has thus been of material benefit to the 
community in its upbuilding and progress. 
What he has accomplished should serve to in- 
spire and encourage others, showing the force 
and value of industry, enterprise and persist- 
enc\' of purpose in the active affairs of life. 



LEVI W. SIBLEY. 



Levi W. Sibley, living on section 33, Olive 
township, is one of the thrifty and prosperous 
farmers and dairymen, who in his business in- 
terests so conducts his efforts that gratifying 
financial results follow. To his own labors his 
success is attributable and the proof of his active 
and enterprising life is found in his well im- 
proved farm of one hundred and forty acres. 
A native of the state of New York, Mr. Sib- 
ley was born in Clinton county. March 18, 1841. 
His father, Luther E. Sibley, was also a native 
of that county, born in 18 t6 and his father 
\\as John Sibley, whose birth cxcurred in ^las- 
sachusetts. The Sibley family is of English 
lineage and was founded in Massachusetts at 
an early day. John Siblev removed from that 
state to New York, settling in Clinton county, 
where Luther Siblev was born and reared. The 
latter was married there to Emeline Eells. a 
native of Clinton count)'. Xew York, and a 
daughter of John Eells. who was born in the 
Green ^Mountain state and was of English 
lineage. Luther Siblc\- was a farmer of Clinton 
county, rearing his family there and making 
his home in that locality up to the time of his 
death, which occurred about t88o. He was 
twice married, his first wife passing away in 
1859, after which he married ag^ain. There 
were four sons and two daughters of the first 
union, all of whom reached mature vears. the 




L. W. Sir.LEV. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



291 



sons being Liulier. who was a soldier nf the 
Second New^ York Cavalry and (hed in Lonisi- 
ana wliile upon tlie Red river expedition in 
1864; Franklyn and Randall, who are residents 
of St. Lawrence countv. New York: and 
Levi W. 

Levi W. Sihley was re;u"ed in nianlnMid in 
the county of his nativity and enlisted in March, 
1862, as a defender of the I'nion cause in the 
Civil war, lieing assigned tu duty with Com- 
pany C, Ninety-sixth New \nvk X'oluntecr 
Infantry. With his conmiand he went south. 
the regiment lieing attached to the Army of the 
Potomac under General George B. McClellan. 
Mr. Sihley participated in the siege of York- 
town and in the battles of Williamsburg and 
Fair Oaks, lie was there taken a prisoner and 
was incarcerated in Libljy prison for a few 
days, after which he was transferred to the 
prison at Salisbuiy, North Carolina, where he 
remained for sometime. I^'iter he was taken to 
Belle Isle and received his pamle there. Going 
to Annapolis, Maryland, he was in the hospital 
camp until exchanged, when he rejoined his 
regiment at Plymouth, North Carolina. Sub- 
sequent to this time he re-enlisted and returned 
home on a veteran furlough of thirty days. 
When that time had expired he rejoined his 
command at Plattsburg, New 'S'ork. and served 
until the close of the war. I le was wounded 
in the thigh at Chapin's farm near I'ort Har- 
rison by a gimshot and was in the hospital until 
the close of hostilities, after which he was hon- 
orably discharged in New York harUir in b'eb- 
niary, 1866. 

Mr. Sible\- then spent a slmrt time in recu- 
perating his health, which had become much im- 
paired because of the rigors and hardships of 
war. I^ater he came west to Michigan and 
joined some friends in Clinton county. In the 
fall of 1866 he bought an eighty-acre tract of 
land, where he now resiiles and upon it were 
some improvements. The following year he 
began its further cultivation and to-day has a 
valuable property. He has since built a good 
neat residence and two barns. He l)Ought more 
land and now owns one hundred and forty 
acres constituting a valuable farm, which is 



e(|uippeil with all modern acces.sories. He uses 
the latest improved machinery in carrying on 
the farm work and everything about his place 
is in excellent condition. 

Levi .Sibley was united in marriage in Lan- 
sing, in .May, 1867, to Miss Alzina Carr, a na- 
tive of Clinton county. New York, who came 
west wlun a ihild of nine years. Her father. 
jiiliii 11, Carr, bringing his family to Michigan. 
cast in his Int with the early settlers of Ingham 
count v. .Mr. and .Mrs. Sibley have become the 
parents of seven children: Emeline and Sadie, 
who are carrying on a dressmaking establish- 
ment in Ionising: Luther \\'., who is a promi- 
nent busin.ss nwn of Dewitt: Rutherford, who 
assists in the operation of the home farm; Levi 
11.. who is a mail agent on the rural route; 
Stella, who is with her sisters in Lansing: and 
Russell .\.. at home. They also lost five chil- 
dren in early youth. 

Politically Mr. Sibley is a stanch republican, 
never faltering in his sup]K)rt of the men and 
measures of the party, but the honors and emol- 
uments of office have had no attraction for him. 
He was elected, however, and .served for one 
or more terms as highway commissioner. Forty 
years have passed since he took up his abode 
on the farm which is now his home. He has 
w itnessed much of the growth and development 
of this part of the state and has helped to make 
Clinton county what it is to-day. He is one of 
tb.e few survivors of the war of the Rebellion 
and deserves the praise which is ever due the 
loyal soldier who risks his life in defense of a 
principle or a cau.se. 



O. D. CASTFRLINE. 

O. D. Casterline, a representative of farm- 
ing interests living on .section 27, Essex town- 
ship, was born in Tompkins county, New- 
York, July 13. 1853. He is a son of A. L. 
Casterline. of whom mention is made in con- 
nection with the sketch of Warren Casterline 
on another page of this work. When a lad of 
only four years the subect of this review came 



292 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



with his parents to Chnton county and was 
reared in Dewitt tow'nship, Uving witli his 
father until he had attained his majority, liis 
education being acquired in the public schools. 
He was married in the city of Lansing on the 
iith of Februars-, 1876. to Miss Mary D. Web- 
ster, a daughter of E. D. \Vebster. of Essex 
township. She was born in Essex township 
and spent her girlhood days in Clinton county. 

Following their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Cas- 
terline removed to Texas, settling in Ellis 
county in March, 1876. but after three months 
spent in the Lone Star state they returned tn 
Michigan and took up their abode in Essex 
township, Clinton county. Mr. Casterline is 
a mason by trade, having learned the business 
under the direction of his father, and subse- 
quent to his return to the iKirth he liecame iden- 
tified with building operations. He erected a 
house in Maple Rapids and locating there 
made his home in the village for se\-eral years. 
Later, however, he removed to a farm, 
whereon he carried on general agricultural 
pursuits until 188 1. Tn that year he took up 
his abode at his jiresent place of residence and 
began the development of his fields. He now 
owns two farms adjoining, both equipped with 
good buildings and well improved according 
to the modern standard of agricultural devel- 
opment. He gives his time and attention to 
l)Oth places and in connection with the raisin_e' 
of cereals is also engaged in the raising of 
good gjades of stock. He rented his place out 
for five years but now has charge of the farms 
and is annually gathering therefrom good har- 
vests. His wife inherited a jiart of her father's 
estate. 

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Casterline has been burn 
one child. Oral E.. the wife of Jnhn V. Parr. n\ 
St. Johns, b}- whom she has a daughter, .Mice 
Elizabeth Parr. Mr. Casterline belongs to the 
Masonic fraternity and was initiated into the 
craft at Dewitt. He and his wife hold mem- 
bership in the Order of the Eastern Star and 
he gives his political allegiance to the democ- 
racy. He has been a resident of Clinton ''ounty 
from his early youth to the present time and 
during this long period many changes have 



been wrought as time and man have left their 
impress upon the county. Where once stood 
the native forests are now seen fields of waving 
grain and the county has become thickly set- 
tled by a prosperous and contented people, 
who have introduced all the improvements and 
conveniences of the older east and have so util- 
ized its conditions as to gain success. Mr. Cas- 
terline is now classed with the representative 
agriculturists of his community. He is a man 
of sterling character and both he and his wife 
are greatly esteemed throughout the commu- 
nitv. 



SAMUEL FOSTER. 



Samuel Foster, a prosperous farmer and 
stock-raiser living on section 26, Victor town- 
ship, is among the worthy citizens that Eng- 
land has furnished to Clinton county. He was 
Irani in tlanipshire on the "merrie isle," May 
2, 1837, and was reared to manhood there upon 
a farm. He emigrated to the new world with 
a sister. .\nn Foster, crossing- the .Atlantic in 
1853. They came direct to Michigan, settling 
first in Ingham county, where Mr. Foster 
worked on a farm by the year. He was paid 
ninety-five dollars for a year's service and out 
of this sum managed to save fifty dollars per 
year. He spent three years there, after which 
he removed to Wayne county, Michigan, lo- 
cating in Plymouth, where he was again em- 
ployed as a farm hand for eight years. While 
residing there, however, he put aside farming 
interests and all j^ersonal considerations in order 
that he might espouse the cause of his adopted 
countiy and aid in the defense of the Union, 
enlisting at Plymouth in August, 1862, as a 
member of Company C, Twenty-fourth Michi- 
gan Infantiy. The regiment was sent to Wash- 
ington and joined the Army of the Potomac. 
The first engagement in which Mr. Foster par- 
ticipated was at Fredericksburg under General 
Burnside and he was also iii the battle of Chan- 
cellorsville in the spring of 1863. He likewise 
participated in the battle of Gettysburg, in the 
battle of the Wilderness, Spottsylvania Court- 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



293 



Iiouse. I'eterslnirg and many others of less im- 
portance. He was taken prisoner after the figlit 
at Petersburg and was thus held for eight 
months, i)eing at Andersonville, Florence and 
Wilmington prisons. He was then paroled and 
later was discharged at Baltimore. Marydand, 
in April. 1865. Mr. I-'oster is familiar with all 
of the depreciations and hardships whicii are 
meted iiut to the soldier. He not only suffered 
the (lifticult life on the battle-field but also the 
horrors of a southern jirison. 

.\fter the close of the war Mr. Foster re- 
turned to W^ayne county. Michigan, and again 
was engaged in fanning there for several years. 
In 1872 he remo\ed to Clinton county and 
bought forty acres, where he now resiiles. 
Later he began to fann this ])lace and he has 
snbse(|uently extended its Ixjundaries by ad- 
ditional purchases until he now has one hun- 
dred and seventy-three acres, on which he has 
built a gix)d. neat residence, also a substantial 
barn and outbuildings. He has planted small 
fruit, has set out an orchard, has fenced the 
place and laid over a mile of tiling, so that the 
farm is well drained. In fact it is equipped 
with all modern improvements and accessories, 
and in connection with the tilling of the soil 
Mr. Foster raises good stock, making a spe- 
cialty of Percheron horses for twenty years. 
He sold one three-year-old colt for two hun- 
dred dollars. In both branches of his business 
he has prospered and he well merits his suc- 
cess. 

Mr. Foster was married in Clinton county, 
in April, 1867, ^'^ Miss Elmerette Robinson, 
a nati\e of Livingston county. Michigan, and 
a daughter of Rev. Robinson, a minister of the 
Methodist Episcopal church. Mrs. h'oster. 
however, is a member of the Congregational 
church at Laingsburg, while Mr. Foster he- 
longs to the Grange and to the Grand .\rmy of 
the Republic, ^[r. Foster began life in the new 
world a poor young man with no assistance 
upon whch he might depend Init he readily 
adapted himself to the conditions of the new 
world and found that later and enterprise are 
the basis of all success here. Tlirough his persist- 
ent purpose and the assistance of his estimable 
wife he has accumulated a good property. He 



fought for tlie land of his adoption and has al- 
ways been loyal and true to its best interests. 
Wherever he is known he is regarded as a man 
of sterling character and worth, and his life 
record is in many respects worthy of emulation, 
showing as it does what may be accomplished 
through determinefl and earnest j)urpose. 



OLIVFU 1'.. WALTER. 

Oliver B. Walter, one of the pioneer manu- 
facturers of granite and marble works in 
Clinton county, conducting business at St. 
Johns, is a native of Oakland county, Michi- 
gan, born March 15, 1836. His parents, Jolm 
J. and Mary A. (Draper) Walter, were both 
natives of the Empire state, and the father fol- 
lowed the occu])ation of farming in New York 
until his removal to Michigan at an early pe- 
riod of the dex'elopment of tliis state. He 
served his countr}' in the Civil war and is now 
living in Oakland county, but in 1885 was 
called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who 
])assed away at the age of fifty years. In their 
family were nine children : Harriet M.. the 
wife of .Alfred Cole, of Bay City. Michigan, 
and a graduate of the deaf and dmnb institute, 
at Flint, Michigan, her husband being likewise 
deaf and dumb; Oliver B. ; Marv J., the wife 
of Robert Sweet, of Orion, Michigan; Lillie 
A., the wife of James Morrison, of Clark.ston. 
Michigan : Oscar J., a farmer, of Flmira. 
Washington: Edgar L., of Oakland countv. 
this state: John J., of Flint. Michigan: Lucy 
M.. the wife of David Lewis, of Owosso, 
Michigan, and Honor B.. the wife of William 
T. Beckw-ith. of Durand. Michigan. 

Oh\er B. Walter was a public-school stu- 
dent in his boyhood days and upon the home 
farm was reared, early becoming familiar with 
the duties and lalxirs that fall to the lot of the 
agriculturist. He continued farming until 
twenty-two years of age and in early manhood 
he also taught in his home district and in the 
western part of the state, both in Oceana and 
Newaygo counties. He followed the profes- 



294 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



sion in the winter seasons, while in the summer 
months he worked at tlie trade of stone and 
marble cutting at Ortonville, Michigan. Later 
he removed to Caro, Tuscola county, Michigan, 
where he followed his trade for five years, 
after which he spent four and a half years in 
Newaygo county. He was also for nine years 
in Flint, Michigan, as foreman of the Barney 
Marble W'orks, and in 1899 he came to St. 
Johns, where he established Ixisiness in part- 
nershi]) with William W. Hodge under the firm 
name of Walter & Hodge. They are well known 
as monument dealers, doing a general cemeteiy 
business, and their monuments are carved en- 
tirely from granite. The firm are pioneers in 
this line of manufacture in Clinton county and 
the scope of their territory covers Clinton, Gra- 
tiot, Shiawassee and Ingham counties, and 
they likewise make shipments to other parts of 
the state, conducting a wholesale business in 
the red Missouri granite. Their patronage has 
become extensive, making their Imsiness a 
profital)le investment and their trade is con- 
stantly growing. 

On the 24th of December, 1882. Mr. Walter 
was married to Miss Mary E., daughter of 
Rev. David and Lucy A. Gostelow, of Caro, 
Michigan. This marriage has been blessed 
with two daughters. Evelyn and \\'inifred. Mr. 
Walter has membership relatinns witli the 
Maccabees and the Modern Woodmen of 
America. His Imsiness career has been char- 
acterized by consecutive progress as the result 
of laudable endeavor and ambition supple- 
mented by keen business discrimination and 
sagacity. 



WILLL\M DILLS. 



\\'i!liam Dills, living on section 32, Olive 
town.ship, has retired from the active work of 
the farm but makes his home with his daugh- 
ter on the old homestead within a mile of the 
village of Dewitt. He is numbered among the 
old settlers of the state, dating his residence in 



^lichigan from 1842 and since 1853 he has 
lived in Clinton county. His birth occurred in 
Cayuga county, New York, Septemljer 10, 
1820. His father, George Dills, was a native 
of the same county and was there reared to 
manhood, after which he married Miss Jane 
Hillaker. Air. Dills removed to Ohio with his 
family in 1830 and .settled in Huron county, 
where he engaged in farming until he came to 
Michigan, joining his son in Clintf)n county, 
where he spent his remaining days. 

William Dills was reared in the Buckeye state 
and \\as a )-oung man when he removed to 
Michig'an in 1842. He first located in Oak- 
land cuunty and in the same year was married 
in that county to Miss Maria Hillaker. whose 
birth occurred in Cayuga county. New York, 
where her girlhood days were passed. Follow- 
ing their marriage the young couple began their 
domestic life upjn a tract of rented land which 
Mr. Dills operated for a number of years. He 
also owned and operated a threshing machine. 
The year 1853 witnessed his arrival in Clinton 
county, where he purchased a tract of raw land, 
becoming owner of eighty acres, where he 
now resides. He cleared and fenced this, built 
a good honie ancl outbuildings for the shelter 
of grain and stock, and continued the work of 
ojiening up the farm until he n<iw has a splendid 
property. .\s he prospered in his undertakings 
he bought more land from time to time and 
eventually became the owner of five hundred 
acres. He was long regarded as one of the 
most practical, progressive and successful agri- 
culturists of the community and his rest is 
well merited, 

Mr. and Mrs. Dills have a family of five 
children : Qiarles J., who resides at Council 
Bluffs, Iowa; W. S., of Dewitt, who is repre- 
sented elsewhere in this volume: Jerome, who 
is living in Olive township: Omar 1!., who is 
also mentioned in this work ; and Mrs. Ella 
Brinkerhoff, a widow, who cnvns a part 
of the old Dills homestead. Her hu.sband was 
Odell Brinkerhoff, who was bom in Cayuga 
county. New York, and died in this county in 
1883. He was a farmer by occupation. Mrs. 
BrinkerhofT has three children : William D. 




MR. AND MRS. WILLIAM DILLS. 



19 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



297 



and Deri, wliu arc rcsiilciU tanners of Olive 
tovvnsliip: and Cienevievc. wlm is at home with 
her motlier. 

J'olitically Mr. Uills has Ijeen a iifeioiig re- 
pubhcan and was elected and served as town- 
ship treasm-er when Olive township had Init 
three republicans in it. He filled the position 
tor three years and he has always been the 
champion of progressive public measures. He 
is a believer in education and in schools and did 
effective service while acting on the school 
board for a number of years. He and his wife 
are Universalists in religious faith. They have 
traveled life's journey together for sixty-one 
years and Mrs. Dills is now eighty -one years 
of age while .Mr. Dills is eighty-five, being one 
of the oldest men of the county. For sixty- 
three years he has been a resident of Michigan, 
while for over half a century he has made his 
home in Clinton courty and has thus witnessed 
its wonderful growth and development. He is 
well known throughout the county as a man 
of upright character, sterling worth and fidelity 
to principle and he and his family are much 
esteemed in the communitv. 



A. C. LEE. 



A. C. Lee, of Elsie, numbered among the 
enterprising business men of Clinton county, 
who for many years has been connected with 
agricultural jnirsuits and other business inter- 
ests here, is a native of Cayuga county, New 
York, born nu the 2d of March, 1830. His 
father was Amassa Lee, whose birth occurred 
in Saratoga county. New York, where he was 
reared and married, the lady of his choice be- 
ing Miss Electa Strong, likewise a native of 
the lunpire state. His death ocairred in 1S33 
when his son A. C. Lee was but a cliild. His 
wife survived him and reared her family, 
doing a mother's full part toward her children. 

A. C. Lee came to Michigan with his mother 
and her family in 1844. when a youth of four- 
teen years. They settled on a farm in Ionia 
county, where Mrs. Lee liought a farm and 



transformed it into a good property. Mr. Lee 
of this review is the youngest and the only 
survivor in a family of eight children. He 
continued his education in the schools of Ionia 
county, receiving good advantages in that 
direction and later he engaged in teaching for 
some years. The first money he ever earned 
was secured in that way, being paid a salary of 
twelve dollars per month, out of which he 
boarded himself. He later bought and cleared 
a tract of land and for some years was identi- 
fied with farming in that locality. Subse- 
f|uently he removed to Saranac, Michigan, es- 
tablishing the first bank in the town. He 
helped to settle and develop that place and car- 
ried on business there for a number of vears. 
lie then sold out and removed to Clinton 
county, where he started his son in the bank- 
ing l)usiness at Elsie. Mr. Lee has largely de- 
voted his energies in the buying and selling of 
im])roved farms and now owns several excel- 
lent farm properties in Clinton and Ionia 
comities. His judgment is seldom if ever at 
fault in (Ictcrniining real-estate x'alues and the 
probable trend of the country- and his invest- 
luents have therefore been judiciously made 
and ha\e brought him a good return. 

Mr. Lee was'married when twenty years of 
age, in 1850, to Miss Harriet E. Bowen, a na- 
tive of New ^'ork. whence she came to Michi- 
gan in her girlhcxxl days with her father. Israel 
Px^wen. and his family, who was one of the 
early settlers of Oakland county. Later he re- 
moved to Ionia countv. Mr. and ]\rrs. Lee are 
the parents of four children : Jennie, now the 
wife of Brayton Wilkinson, a farmer residing 
at Keene. Ionia county: Chadwick A., who is 
lixing on the home farm in Ionia county: El- 
mer E.. a resident farmer of Duplain town- 
ship, and E. C. Lee. who resides with his 
father in Elsie and is a farmer and business 
man. 

Mr. Lee of this review cast his first presi- 
dential vote for Zachary Taylor and supported 
John C. Fremont in 1856, since which time he 
has never failed to cast his ballot for the pres- 
idential nominees of the republican party. He 
has been without political aspiration for him- 



298 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



self but lias g-iveii his attention to his business 
interests uitli a courage, energy and deter- 
mination that has made him one of the sub- 
stantial residents of this part of the state. For 
sixty-one years he has lived in central Michi- 
gan and has seen the great forests cleared 
a\va\-, the towns and cities Ijuilt and the work 
of im])ro\-ement carried forward along pro- 
srressive lines until this section of the state is 
lacking in none of the business enterprises or 
the advantages known to the older east. Air. 
Lee has been closely identified with the devel- 
oimient of this part of Alichigan and is a repre- 
sentative citizen who well deserves mention in 
this \-olume. 



WILLIAM H. FARNILL. 

William 11. h'arnill, lix'ing on section Ck 
Bath township, has always been a resident of 
Michigan, his birthplace being Washtenaw 
county, his natal day November 4, 1840. His 
father, Isaac I'arnill. was born in ^'orkshire, 
England, in the year 181 5, and there passed 
the days of his boyhood and youth, coming to 
the new world when a young man. He located 
first in Pennsylvania and was married there to 
Sophia Bartlett, who was born in that state, in 
182 1. About 1838 he came to Michigan, set- 
tling in W'ashtenaw county when its popula- 
tion was very limited, only here and there a 
pioneer cabin Ijeing seen. He began opening 
up a farm, however, and upon the place which 
he improved he reared his family and spent his 
last years. 

It was upon the old homestead there that 
William H. Farnill was reared. Every morn- 
ing he made his way to the little schoolhouse 
of the district, returning in the evening after 
the tasks of the day were completed. Through 
the summer months he aided in the work of 
the fields and he remained with his father 
until twenty-one years of age. He afterward 
started out in life on his own account and was 
employed as a farm hand by the day or month 
for a few years, or until his earnings enabled 
him to engage in farm work for himself. 



in W'ashtenaw county, in 1862, Mr. Farnill 
was married to Miss Ellen Gates, also a native 
of this state. They began their domestic life 
in Washtenaw county, where they lived for 
three years, when Mr. Farnill disposed of his 
interests there and purchased his present farm 
on section 6. Bath township. Only a small 
jxirtion of this had been cleared and almost the 
only improvement was a little log house, in 
which he and his wife lived for a year or so 
until he could build a little frame house. He 
had at first one hundred and sixty acres of 
land, which he prepared for the plow, cultivat- 
ing and fencing it. Subsequently he added 
eight)- acres so that he now has a good farm 
of two hundred and forty acres and the care 
and labor which he has bestowed u])on it has 
made the ])lace \'ery ])roducti\e and his labors 
jirofitable. His present residence is a neat 
brick house, and he has also built a good base- 
ment barn. lie has jilanted fruit, including 
lierries and an orchard, atid altogether has a 
model pro])ertv. In the front of his home is a 
well kept lawn, adorned with shade and orna- 
mental trees and flowers and the entire jjlace is 
attractive in its appearance, forming one of 
the best features of the landscape. Here he 
raises good stock, making a specialty of sheep 
and keeping from one to two hundred head 
upon his place at all times. 

Mr. and Mrs. l'"arnill have two children: 
.\rthur. who married Elizabeth V>'est and 
(nvns and o])erates a farm on section 5. Bath 
township, and he has one daughter, Elsie: and 
Sophia, the wife of Nelson Sleight, of Ot- 
tuniwa. Iowa. b\ whom she has two children. 
Vern and Sophia. 

Politically an earnest republican, .\lr. b'ar- 
nill has su])])orted the party since casting his 
first presitlential \-ote for .\braham Lincoln, 
his last ballot being given to Theodore Roose- 
velt. He served as commissioner of highways 
and on the Ixiard of reviews, has been a mem- 
ber of the school board for twelve years and 
likewi.se school treasurer for twelve years. He 
has served as a delegate to the county conven- 
tions and was a member of the first jury that 
ever sat in the present courthouse. His entire 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



299 



life lias been jjassed in Michigan and its 
gTiiwth and ])rofjress iia\e been matters ot 
deep interest to liini. while in his home locality 
he has contributed to the work of general ad 
vancement and improvement through his puli 
lic-siiirited citizenshi]) and his co-o])eration in 
man\- measures that haw pro\ed ot henetit to 
the (.■Mtuit\-. 



HERMAX P. KRAUS. 

Enterprise and thrift are manifest in the 
business life of Herman P. Kraus. who is op- 
crating" the old home farm on section 15. De- 
witt township. Tie was born ujjon this place, 
September 2. 1873. his father being Philipp 
Kraus. who was lx)rn in Washtenaw county. 
Michigan, in T840. while the grandfather. 
Christian Kraus. was a native of Germany and 
became one of the first settlers of Michigan. 
Philipp Kraus was reared in Washtenaw 
county and in 1839 accompanied his father on 
his removal to Clinton county, locating on the 
farm where his son Herman now resides. He 
bought two hundred acres of raw land, which 
he cleared and fenced, also erected a good resi- 
dence and made other modem improvements, 
transforming his ]ilace into one of the valuable 
farm proi)erties of the locality. lMiilii)p Kraus 
was married here to Elizabeth Baumgras. a 
native of Germanv. He ])urchased the interest 
of the other heirs in the old homestead proj)- 
erty and thus succeeded to the place upon 
which he afterward built a go<id. neat brick 
residence and substantial outbuildings, thus 
making a well improved farm. He carried on 
general agriailtural jnirsuits until i8qq, when 
he removed to Lansing and purchased a resi- 
dence propertv in which he now lives retire<l. 
In his family were fi\c children : Kate, who is 
now the wife of Scott Clark: Herman P.. of 
this review; Eugene, who is living in Lansing: 
Clara, the wife of Fred Wimble, of Lansing: 
and Matilda, who is now attending Albion 
College. 

Herman P. Kraus was reared to manhood 
on the farm where he now resides, acquiring 



his education in the common schools and in 
Lansing Business College. He was married. 
on tiie i8th of October, 1899. in Watertown, 
to Miss Julia Knaup, a native of Ohio, who 
was reared and educated here. After his mar- 
riage Mr. Kraus took charge of the old home 
farm, where he is engaged in the cultivation of 
the soil, in raising stock and in dairying. His 
business interests are well managed and bring 
him a good financial return. 

Unto Mr. and ^frs. Kraus has been born a 
daughter. Edna. The ])arents are members of 
the Methoilist Episcojjal church, in which he is 
serving as a trustee. He gives his political alle- 
giance to the republican party and in this re- 
spect is following in the footsteps of his father, 
who has always been a stanch republican and 
served for several years as highway commis- 
sioner. He and his wife were members of the 
Gunnisonville Mclluxlist E])iscopal church, in 
the work of which Mr. Kraus took a most act- 
i\e and helpful ])art. was steward and trustee. 
;md was one of tiie most generous contril)utt)rs 
toward the ercctio:i of the ])resent brick house 
(if wiirsliip. lie was also a stalwart friend of 
education. l;clie\ing in the em|)loyment of good 
teachers and in upholding a high standard of 
education and for a number of years he capably 
served on the school board. 



LAFAYETTE JOXES. 

T,afayette Jones, now living retired in St. 
Johns, is a native of Oakland county. Michi- 
gan, born June 9, 1843, his parents being 
George and Chl<ie A. (Aldrich) Jones. The 
father was a native of Ontario count)'. Xew 
"S'ork. The Jones family was established in 
the L^nited States in 1727, when representa- 
tives of the name emigrated from Wales and 
located in Virginia. The grandfather, Samuel 
Jones. l)ecame a resident of Ontario county, 
N^ew York, whence he afterward removed to 
Michigan, settling in Oakland county in 1836. 
There he spent his remaining days, following 
the occn])ation of farming. The .Mdrich fam- 



300 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



ily is one of those of Plymouth Rock fame, 
and from Massachusetts the family went to 
New York and afterward to Michigan, arriv- 
ing in Wayne county in 1835. Savel Aldrich, 
the maternal grandfather of our subject, took 
up land at various points throughout the state 
and was actively connected with the pioneer 
development. His daughter, Chloe A. Aid- 
rich, was horn in New York state and in Oak- 
land county, Michigan, gave her hand in niir- 
riag'e to George Jones. In their family were 
twelve children, of whom eight are living: La- 
fayette, James E., who resides in Lansing, 
Michigan: Sarah Emily, the wife of Benjamin 
F. Miller, of the capital city: Florence A., the 
wife of a Mr. Stringer, of Luther. Michigan; 
Ida, the wife uf Benjamin West, of (Irand 
Ledge, this state: I'reeman .\., a practicing 
physician n\ Lansing. Michigan: and John 
B. and Ernest A., who are residents of Grand 
Ledge. Those deceased are : Justin N., who 
died in North Carolina : T. Homer : Henrj' D. ; 
and Barton S., whci died in Grand Ledge in 
May, 1905. 

Lafayette Jones was a student in the dis- 
trict schools of Oneida township. Eaton 
county, Michigan, and later continued his 
studies in the Union school at Charlotte, this 
state. After teaching for one term he entered 
a select school in Lansing, and later he taught 
for one winter at Charlotte, Michigan. He be- 
gan preparation for the practice of medicine as 
a student in the ofifice and under the direction 
of Dr. J. C. Covey, of Grand Ledge, and in 
1864-5-6 he attended lectures in the University 
of Michigan, from which he uas graduated in 
the last mentioned year. 

Dr. Jones began active practice in Pewamo, 
Michigan, where he remained from the spring 
of 1866 until the autumn of 1875. At diat date 
he began farming in Essex township. Clinton 
county, following agricultural pursuits with 
excellent success until the spring of 1892, 
when he removed to St. Johns, where he has 
since lived retired. His undertakings upon the 
farm returned his a gratif}ing measure of suc- 
cess and upon his removal to the city he sold 
his farm propertv, comprising two hundred 

^^1 



acres of valuable land. He spends his time 
largely in travel, having visited many points 
of the United States and Europe, and he has 
attended the various expositions since the 
Cotton Exposition was held in 1885. He 
greatly enjoys home life, having a residence 
which is well adapted to comfort and its hos- 
pitality is one of its attractive features. 

Dr. Jones was happily married January 12, 
1867, to Miss Maria H. Halbert, a daughter 
of Harrison Halbert, of Grand Ledge. Her 
father came from Leroy, New York, to ^lich- 
igan in 1858, settling in Grand Ledge in 1861. 
His wife bore the maiden name of Harriet 
Tillotson and comes of an old family of Con- 
necticut, tracing her ancestr\- back through 
three hundred vears. 



TYLER C. AVERY. 



Tyler ( '. .\very. following the occupation of 
farming on section 5, Ovid township, is a na- 
tive of Wyoming county. New York, born 
l-'ebruary 5, 1833, his parents being John and 
Sarah (Cooper) A^•ery, the former a nati\e of 
Connecticut and the latter of New York. In 
pioneer times in the histniw of Michigan the 
father came west to Clinton county and took up 
forty acres of government land in Greenbush 
township. He afterward removed to a farm a 
mile east and at one time was the owner of three 
hundred acres of rich and productive land. He 
died upon the old farm homestead in 1885, at 
the age of eighty-five years, while his wife 
passed away in 1882, when seventy-seven vears 
of age. Horace .\\-ery. a lirother of John 
.\very, came to ^lichigan with him and also 
located in Greenbush township but subsequently 
sold his projierty and removed to Nebraska, 
where his death occurred. In the family of Mr. 
and Mrs. John Avery were seven children: 
John, a practicing physician at Greenville, 
Michigan ; James M., who is now living in Lake 
county, this state: Sanford C. who is living 
on a part of the old homestead farm : Tyler C. ; 
and three who have passed away, Marvin hav- 




T. C. AVERY. 




MRS. T. C AVERY. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



305 



inj;- liccn killcW wliile serving in llie Uninn 
.Army as a mcnil)cr nf the Third Michigan 
Ca\alr\-. while Ann is the deceased wife of 
Alpheiis ChaiHiian. and Laura, the deceased 
wife (if Leonard Clark. 

Tyler C". .\\ery was only fuiir years old when 
hmught by his parents to this state and his 
etlucation was acquired in one of the old log 
schoolhouses. He began working in the tim- 
ber upon the old home farm and forty-five years 
ago he came to his present farm on section 5, 
0\id tow nsliip, taking jxissession of eighty acres 
of wikl land, on which he cut the first stick 
of timl)er. He has since cleared all but a few- 
acres and has plowed and planted the fields and 
continued the work of improvement until he 
now has a valuable an<l ])roducti\e farming 
property. 

When his father came to this county in 1839 
Dewitt was the nearest trading town and on 
one occasion the famih' had to go to .\nn Ar- 
bor for salt. The tirst himie of the family was 
a little l<ig structure, the roof l)eing made of 
boughs. As the years have gone by Mr. Aver\- 
has continued the work of cultivation and im- 
provement until he now has a valuable farm- 
ing ])roperty. He relates many interesting in- 
cidents of pioneer times that tiH)k place around 
the olil homestead farm in (ireenbush township. 
Wolves and bears were numerous in the forests 
and annoye<l the settlers by killing hogs and 
e\eii since Mr. Avery has taken up his alx~>de 
upnn his present farm he had four of his sheep 
killed by a bear. ( ireat changes have occurred, 
howe\er, as the years have gone by and the 
countr}- has been claimed by the settlers who 
ha\e transformed the wild timbered region into 
fertile farms and attractive homes. 

On the nth of Deceml)er, 1855, Mr. Avery 
was married to Miss Hannah Rowell. a daugh- 
ter of Samuel and Sarah (Pearl) Rowell, lx)th 
of whom were natives of Springwater, New 
York. Mrs. .\very. ha\ing traveled life's 
journey with her husl)and for more than forty- 
six years, departed this life June 28, 1902, at 
the age of sixty-two. In their family were four 
daughters and a sou: .Mice, the wife of John 
Fizzell, of Duplain township: Emma, deceased : 



Jennie, the wife of Grant Cleveland, of Eureka, 
Michigan; Myrtle, the wife of I^wis McCul- 
lough, of Ashley, Michigan: and .\rthur J., 
of Ovid townshi]i. 

-Mr. .\\ery is a republican, having always 
given his allegiance to that party, and his first 
vote was cast in Tireenbu-sh township. Both he 
and his wife are members of the Christian 
church at Colony. He is one of the substantial 
pioneers of Clinton county and a highly re- 
spected citizen. From boyhood days he has 
live<l in this part of the .state and all who know 
him entertain for him warm regard because he 
has been found reliable in business transactions, 
faithful in citizenship and Inval in friendship. 



JAMI'.S HENRY. 

James Henry. li\ing on section -, Duiilain 
t(iwnshi]i. is the owner of a farm of eight v 
acres, which in appearance indicates his care- 
ful supervision and practical, progressive 
methods. He has lived in this state since 1863 
and imbued with the spirit of progress in the 
great west has taken an active and helpful part 
in the work of gener.al im])rovement. His 
birth occurred in Ohio, on the 9th of July. 
1848. His father was a native of Pennsyl- 
vania hut in earh- life remc^ved westward to 
Ohio, where he died during the infancv of his 
son James. He was married to Miss Mary 
Henr\'. also a native of the Keystone state and 
a daughter of Benjamin Henry, an early set- 
tler of Pennsylvania. .A few years after the 
death of her first husband she gave her hand in 
marriage to John W^aggoner, a native of Ohio 
and one of the early settlers of Clinton county. 

James Henry of this review was the onlv 
child born unto his parents. .After his mother's 
second marriage he remained with her until he 
had attained his majority and then came to 
Michigan, purchasing a farm of eiglitv acres 
in rireenbush township. Clinton county. On 
this he built a house and improved the fields 
and later he purchased where he now resifles 
on section 7. Duplain township. He lias 



306 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



erected liere a good two-storv liouse. also a 
substantial barn and other outbuildings f(ir the 
shelter of grain and stock. He has planted an 
orchard and considerable small fruit and in 
connection with the tilling of the fields he 
raises some stock, ])rincipally cows for dairy 
purposes. His farm indicates in its thrifty 
and well kept appearance the enterprise and 
careful management of the owner, who is 
practical in all of his work and is meeting' with 
\-erv gratifying success. 

On the 4th of July, 1872, Mr. Henry was 
married to Miss Florence E. Pray, a native of 
Clinton county and a daughter of Orman 
Pr;iy. d'le of the early settlers of this state. 
Mr. and Mrs. Henry ha\e three children: 
Charles, a resident i)f Eureka: Bertha, the 
wife of Nile Countryman, of Elsie, and Artie, 
a young man at home. The parents are mem- 
l^ers of the Christian church of Eureka. Polit- 
ically Mr. Henry is inde])endent, voting for 
men and measures rather than party, yet is not 
remiss in any duties of citizenship, and his co- 
o]ieration can be counted uj)on to further an_\- 
movements for the yeneral ("nod. 



GEORGE P.. FAXON. 



George B. h'a.xon. postmaster at Ovid, is a 
natixe of Duplain, Clinton county, born May 
9. 1S50. His father, William H. Faxon, was 
horn in Bata\'ia, New ^'ork, and came to the 
west in 1837, settling in Clinton county. Here 
he was married to Miss Bethsheba Seaver. a 
nati\-e of Rochester, New York, who arrived 
in this county in 1836. Mr. Faxon turned his 
attention to merchandising, which he carried 
on in Duplain township, and in 1861 he re- 
moved to Ovid, where he conducted a general 
store until 1872, when he sold out. He is en- 
gaged in the insurance business in Ovid and 
has long been recognized as one of the promi- 
nent men of his locality. 

George B. Faxon, having obtained his early 
education in the common schools, continues his 
studies for two years in the academy at Lansing. 
Michigan, and he entered u])on his business 



career as a clerk in his father's store, spending 
the greater p)rtion of his youth behind die 
counter, .\fter leaving his father's store he 
entered the employ of Potter & Swarthout, 
general merchants of Ovid, whom he repre- 
sented as a salesman for ten years, being one 
of the most trusted employes of that house. 
This position was followed by his appointment 
as postmaster of Ovid under President Harri- 
son on the gth of January, 1893, and he has 
been continuetl in the office by reappointment of 
Presidents McKinley and Rixjsevelt for a 
period of twelve consecutive years and will 
])robably be re-api)ointed. He is an unfaltering 
advocate of republican principles, strong in his 
work in behalf of the party and he has never 
wavered in his allegiance thereto since casting 
his first presidential ballot for General Grant. 
He has done everything in his power to pro- 
mote the growth of the party and insure its 
success and is recognized as one of the local 
leaders. 

On the 1 6th of November, 1S69, Mr. Faxon 
was united in marriage to Miss Phoelie L. Har- 
rison, a daughter of Z. H. and Sophronia 
(Beebe) Harrison, the former a native of New 
Jersey and the latter of New York. Her 
father became a prominent citizen of Ovid, 
where he was engaged in the milling 
l)usiness until his death, which occurred in 
1878, when he was fifty-two years of age. His 
widow still survives him. Mr. and Mrs. Faxon 
have one .son, George H. F"axon, who is now 
pri\-ate secretary to Governor Deneen, at 
Sjiringfield, Illinois, and has occupied important 
positions in New York city. He was private 
secretary of H. M. Hoyt. the \ice president 
of die Chalmers Iron Works; also private 
secretary of Royal \Vest; secretary of .\n- 
tliony Comstock for two years; and .secretary 
of the state republican central committee of 
Illinois. He is an expert stenographer and is 
a favorite of "Uncle Joe" Cannon and other 
men prominent in national political circles. He 
was married in 1892 to Minnie W'ylie and 
has a daughter, lone. 

George B. b'axon belongs to the .\ncient 
Order of L'nited Workmen and since 1869 has 



4 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



307 



l)een a nienihcr dt tlie Mcthntlisl Ei)iscopal 
clnirch. takiiis^ an active part in its musical af- 
fairs and lung serving as its chorister. Me is 
one (tf the leading citizens of (^\id, fnreniost 
in many affairs of the commnnily and is highly 
resjiected liy all who kni i\v him. I lis official 
serx'ice has heen cnnimendahlc and his ad- 
ministration. Inisiness-liUc and progressive, has 
won encominms I mm all cunccrncil. 



(iEORC.K M. KIl.Ml-.k. 

deorge M. Kilmer, who is engaged in gen- 
eral farming on section 14. Eagle townshiji. 
was horn in the town <if l-"leming. Cayuga 
county. New York. October 1. 1S36. his par- 
ents being Henry P. and Marie I>. (Riley) Kil- 
mer, who came to Michigan in 1853, first set- 
tling in Jackson, where the frither fullnwcd the 
occupation of farming. He died in the year 
i86f). when fift\-se\'en years of age: and his 
wife has also passed aw aw Tlie Kilmers were 
of Holland lineage and early representatives 
of the fann'l\- li\ed in Albany county. New 
^'ork. The Rilex'S were from X'crmont. Our 
subjects paternal grandfather was a soldier of 
the war of 1812 and the great-grandfathers on 
Iwth sides were in the Revolutionary war. 

Geiirge M. Kilmer was one of a family of 
four children and his education was acquired 
in the district schools. He remained at home 
in Jackson. Afichigan. through the period of 
his youth and in early life learned the carpen- 
ter's trade, which he followed for some years. 
In 1868 he removed to Lansing and later 
traded his ])roperty there for his present farm 
in Eagle township, having here sixty-three 
acres of land which is well cultivated and re- 
turns him good har\-ests. The only internip- 
tion to an active business career was his ser\'ice 
in the LTnion army during the Civil war. On 
the 1 2th of August, 1862, he enlisted at Jack- 
son as a private of Company K. Seventeenth 
Michigan Infantry, and was in the service for 
fourteen months. He received an honorable 
discharge in October, 1863, having partici- 



pated in the eng;igenients at Antietam, South 
.Mountain and Fredericksburg. That his regi- 
ment made a s])lendid record f>f bravery is in- 
dicated by the fact that it was known as the 
Stone Wall regiment. 

On the 19th of November, 1857, Mr. Kil- 
mer was married to Miss Orrisa Hull, a 
daughter of Timothy and Orrisa ( Bowdish) 
llull. natives of hranklin count\'. N'ermont. 
They lived in the Green Mountain state until 
1835, when they removed to Jackson county, 
Michigan, and there sjient their remaining 
days. Mrs. Kilmer's father died when she was 
twenty months old but the mother lived to be 
eighty-two years of age, passing away in Lan- 
sing, Michigan. Her paternal grandfather, 
Jehiel IhdI. was a colonel of the Revolutionary 
war. The maternal grandfather. Colonel Jo- 
seph Bowdish, who was in the same service, 
was a large landowner of Franklin county, 
Vermont, and was a man of ven,' benevolent 
and kindly spirit. He won his title by active 
military service. Isaac B. Bowdish, an uncle 
of Mrs. Kilmer, was a cajitain in the Civil war 
and died while in the service, being injured on 
a draw bridge between Suffolk and Norfolk, 
\'irginia. Joseph B. Hull, a brother of Mrs. 
Kilmer, was a prominent pioneer of Lansing 
and died in 190 1. 

Unto our subject and his wife ha\-e lieen 
Iiorn three sons and a daughter who are vet 
living: George M.. at home: Ellsworth, who is 
engaged in the fire insurance and real-estate 
business at BiUte. Montana: Lynn L., of Eagle 
township: and Morence N., the wife of Donald 
Cole, of Battle Creek, Michigan. Two of the 
children died in infancy. 

When age gave to Mr. Kilmer the right of 
franchise he cast his presidential vote for John 
C. I'reniont and supported the republican 
party for a time but later voted for Horace 
Greeley and is now a democrat. He acted as 
keeper of the prison at Ionia, Michigan, in 
1882-3. ^°^ some years because of rheuma- 
tism he has been incapacitated for active labor 
either at his trade or on the farm but he gives 
his personal supervision to his agriadtural in- 
terests and has a good property which is the 



3o8 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



visible evidence of his life of thrift and indus- 
try, representing the investment of his own 
earnings. 



EDWIN DOBSON. 



Edwin Dobson, interested in general farm- 
ing on section 12, Bingham township, was born 
in Yorkshire, England, on the 30th of August, 
1833, his parents being George and Mary Dob- 
son, both of whom were natives of that country. 
The father was born in 1800 and l^ecame a 
fancy basketmaker and also conducted a store 
in the city of Bridlington, thus carrying on 
business until his death, which occurred Octo- 
ber T, 1845. His wife, who was born in 1805, 
survived him until Februaiy 14, 1851. 

Edwin Dobson is the last surviving member 
of the family of thirteen children. In early life 
he learned the butcher's trade, which he fol- 
lowed until he sailed for America, landing in 
this country in August, 1853, at Willington 
Square, Canada. There he follnwed butchering 
until he removed to Toronto, where he spent 
two years, going later to Stoverville, where he 
spent two and a half years. His next place of 
resiflence was at Norwick, Canada, and in 1859 
he went to Detroit, and followed farming at 
Livonia, \\'ayiie county. His attention was 
thus occupied until .\pril, 1863, when he went 
to Shiawassee count}-, and in 1865 he returned 
to Livonia, where he remained until 1872. 

In that year he removed to Clinton county 
and took uj) forty acres of land from the 
government on section T2, Bingham township, 
-the patent being signed by General Grant and 
transferred to Mr. Dobson by John Bailey. As 
the years have passed by Mr. Dobson has added 
two forty-acre tracts to his place, all of which 
was covered with timber. His first house was 
ten by fourteen feet, in which the family lived 
for a year while the land was being cleared. 
Later a more commodious residence was pre- 
pared for the family and as the years have 
gone by Mr. Dobson has continued the work of 
improvement. In 1898 he built a large barn 



and in igoo erected a commodious and hand- 
some residence. He bore the usual hardships of 
the pioneer who makes his way into a frontier 
district with no money, but as the years have 
gone by he has prospered and now owns an ex- 
cellent farm on which are fine buildings. None 
of the roads that now pass b\- the farm were 
opened up at that time, the nearest public high- 
way being three-fourths of a mile north and 
another one about an equal distance to the south. 
Mr. Dobson has taken an active interest in 
township matters and for a numljer of years 
served as pathmaster, although he has always 
eschewed office holding. He has, however, sup- 
ported all progressive public measures for the 
benefit of his community and is intensely inter- 
ested in its welfare and development. 

On the 1st of November, 1853, Mr. Dobson 
"was united in marriage to ]\Iiss Ann Stubbs, a 
daugther of George Stubbs, of Yorkshire, 
England, who died in March, 1854. The chil- 
dren of that marriage are Harriet and Ellen, 
twins, the former the wife of William Bowen 
and the latter the wife of George Glasier, of 
Fenton, Illinois; and George Dobson, who is 
living in St. Johns. For his second wife Mr. 
Dobson chose Rachel Stubbs, whom he wedded 
in November, 1858, and who died on the i6th 
of March, 1862. The two children of that 
marriage died in infancy. On the 2d of April, 
1863, occurred the marriage of Mr. Dob.son and 
i\Iiss .\lice Yanderkarr, a daughter of Joseph 
and Prudence (Ketchem) Vanderkarr, lx)th of 
whom were natives of New York, the former 
born in Rensselaer and the latter in Steuben 
county. There are two children of the third 
marriage: Alljert E., who was born in 1868 
and is living upon the home farm on section 
II, Bingham township; and Walter, who was 
born in 1877 ''^""^l '^^^^^ '" 1882. 

Mrs. Dobson's parents were residents of 
New York until 1845, \vhen they came west- 
ward to Michigan, settling first in Wayne 
county, where the father entered land from 
the government in the township of Livonia. 
There he remained until 1848 and in the mean- 
time he lost his wife, who died in 1846. On 
leaving Wayne county he came to Clinton 





MR. AND MRS. EDWIN DOBSON. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



3" 



county, settling in Dewitt township, wliere lie 
spent a number of years and then traded that 
farm for one in Shiawassee county, where he 
resided until 1866. He afterward spent a year 
in Owosso and then removed t(J Caledonia 
township, settling on a farm, where he resided 
until 1882, when he was killed in an accident 
at the Owosso Railroad crossing on the 25th 
of Octol)er of that year. His wife passed away 
July 23. 1846. and Mrs. Dohson was afterward 
reared by her aunt, Mrs. Priscilla Peck, of 
Livonia, with whom she remained until her 
marriage. Her aunt lived here for twenty-nine 
years and died on the 7th of .\pril, 1903. Mrs. 
Dob.son pursued her eduaition in the district 
schools until fourteen years of age and after- 
ward spent one year in the State Normal School 
at ^'psilanti. At the age of seventeen years .she 
gave her hand in marriage to Mr. Dobson, with 
whom she has now traveled life's journey for 
more than forty years. 

Since cdiuing to this country Mr. Dobson 
has made several trips back to his native land, 
visiting England in 1885. 1891, 1895 and again 
in 1899. His first voyage across the Atlantic 
covered forty-two days and his last but five and 
a half days, such has lieen the improvement in 
ocean transportation. He has never had ac- 
casion to regret his determination to seek a 
home in .\merica, for here he has found the 
opportunities he .sought and through well 
directed effort has gained a \ery comfortalile 
competence, while through an upright life he 
has won many warm friends that make his resi- 
dence in this county a pleasant one. 



RAY ROBSON. 



Ray Rolison is the present efficient and 
obliging postmaster of Bath and one of the 
active and leading business men there, having 
been connected with its mercantile interests for 
twelve years. He is a native son of Michigan, 
having been born in Ingham county, on the 
3d of November, 1872. His father, Matthew 
Robson. was born in Northmnberland county. 
20 



luigland, on the 20th of I-'ebruary, 1829, and 
came of a long line of English ancestry. He 
was reared to manhood in the county of his 
nativity and when ;i young man came to the 
new world, arriving here in 1853. He first lo- 
cated in Canada, where he spent two years, 
and then came to Michigan, settling in Ingham 
county, in 1855. Here he worked on a farm 
and later he liought a tract of land which he 
cultivated for a numlier of years. He bought, 
imiiroved and sold four different farms in the 
county and was one of its progressive and en- 
terprising agriculturists. He was married in 
Ingham county, to Miss Jemima A. Thom- 
burv", who was also a native of England and 
in her girlhood days was brought to the new 
world, being reared in Michigan. In 1884 Mr. 
Robson sold his property in Ingham county 
and took up his abode in Bath. Clinton county, 
where he purchased a store building and put 
in a stock of goods. He carried on the busi- 
ness for about nine years and then sold out to 
his son. There were two sons in the family 
but Ernest died when a young man of alK^ut 
twenty years. Politically the father is a 
stanch re])ublican, having supjxirted the party 
since casting his first presidential ballot for 
Abraham Lincoln but he has never sought or 
desired office. He is widely and favorably 
known in both Ingham and Clinton counties as 
a respected and worthy citizen. 

Ray Robson arrived in Clinton county when 
a lad of twelve years and was reared in Bath, 
acquiring his education in its public schools. 
From his youth up he assisted in his fathers 
store, early becoming familiar with the busi- 
ness, acquainted with the stock and under- 
standing the princijiles of successful conduct 
here. In 1893 he purchased his father's store 
and succeeded to the business, which he has 
since carried on, having now a large and care- 
fully selected line of goods such as is in de- 
mand by the general trade. He was ap- 
pointed postmaster of Bath by President Mc- 
Kinley and has now ser\-ed in that capacity for 
eight years, his administration of the duties of 
the office being highly satisfactory- to the gen- 
eral public 



312 



AST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



Mr. Rol)son was married, in Bath, in Octo- 
ber, 1893, to Miss Daisy La Noble, a native of 
Clinton county, Michigan, born, reared and 
educated in Bath, and a daughter of John La 
Noble, a prominent farmer of this locality. 
Like his father Mr. Robson gives his political 
allegiance to the republican party but aside 
from the office of postmaster has never sought 
or desired political preferment, giving his time 
exclusively to his business interests. He is a 
young man of good business ability and execu- 
tive force, of keen discernment and laudable 
ambition and of sterling character. 



CHARLES S. DIETRICH. 

Charles S. Dietrich, who follows farming 
on section 13, Victor township, was born in 
^Macomb county. Michigan, on the 23d of 
Januan-. 1849, <^'^'' is a representative of one 
of the old families of Pennsylvania. His pa- 
ternal grandfather, Jacol) Dietrich, was reared 
in the Keystone state and in 1823 removed to 
New York, settling in Monroe county, where 
he reared his family. His son. Martin Diet- 
rich, was born in Pennsvlvania but spent the 
days of his boyhood and youth in the Empire 
state, where he formed the acquaintance of 
and married Miss Caroline Sherwood, whose 
birth occurred in New York. She was a 
daughter of Somers Sherwood, one of the first 
settlers of Monroe county. 

In early life Martin Dietrich learned the 
wagonmaker's trade, which pursuit he fol- 
lowed for a few years, while later he turned his 
attention to carpentering and was identified 
with building operations first in New York 
and afterward in Michigan. Subsequent to 
his arrival in this state he bought a farm in 
Macomb county but took up his abode in 
Memphis, where he lived for twenty years. In 
1865 he removed to the farm on section 13. 
Victor township. Clinton county, where his 
son C. S. Dietrich now resides, and began to 
cultivate and improve that property, which he 
developed through the aid of his sons. His last 



years were spent upon the old homestead and 
he died in 1882. Going to New Mexico for his 
health his last days were spent in the home of 
a daughter, where he died in 1882. His wife 
had passed away in Macomb county. Michi- 
gan, dying in i860. 

Charles S. Dietrich was a young man of 
sixteen years when he came with his parents to 
Clinton county, locating where he now resides, 
and he assisted in improving the home farm, 
remaining with his father upon that place up 
to the time of the latter's death. He subse- 
quently had charge of the work of clearing and 
developing the property, and after his father's 
death he bought out the widow and other heirs 
and succeeded to the ownership of the farm, 
now owning one hundred and thirty acres. A 
commodious and pleasant brick residence has 
been liuilt by him and he has also built two 
good liarns so that the improvements upon the 
place are in keeping with the modem ideas of 
the progressive farmer. He has likewise planted 
an orchard and year Iiy year cultivates his 
fields which in course of time bring forth good 
harvests. He likewise raises pure blooded 
Holstein cattle and has some high grade stock. 
For about ten vears he engaged in the manu- 
facture of tile and lirick upon his farm and the 
brick used in the constniction of his home was 
burned in his kilns. He has als(T laid several 
miles of tile on his farm which is well drained 
imtil the fields have become extremely pro- 
ductive. Everything about the place is indica- 
tive of his careful supervision and in his work 
he is extremely practical, his laliors proving a 
resultant factor in the acquirement of a grati- 
fying success. 

Mr. Dietrich was married in Bath township. 
Clinton county. December 25. 1883. to Miss 
Ada Chapman, who was Ixirn in Macomb 
county but was reared in Clinton county, a 
daughter of Isaac Chapman, now of Lansing, 
Michigan. She pursued her education in the 
schools of Ovid and of Lansing and success- 
fully engaged in teaching in Clinton county 
prior to her marriage. There were three chil- 
dren born of this union : Nellie, who is a gradu- 
ate of the high school of St. Johns and for one 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



313 



year was a teacher, is now a student in the 
State Normal School. Clara is now a student 
at Laingsburg. Clarence completes the family. 
In his political views Mr. Dietrich has 
alway been a republican and is now serving as 
justice of the peace in Victor township. He 
has likewise been a member of the school Ijoard 
and in this connection has done effective serv- 
ice in promoting the cause of education by 
employing competent teachers and upholding 
the standard of the schools. His wife and 
children are members of the Methodist Episco- 
pal church and lx)th Mr. and Mrs. Dietrich 
belong to the local Grange. He is a thrifty and 
prosperous farmer and careful business man. 
well known in St. Johns and Clinton county. 
and his genuine worth and upright character 
have made him worthy the regard in whicli he 
is uniformlv held. 



RAY T. FULLER. M. D. 

Dr. Ra\' T. Fuller, who is accorded a good 
patronage which is the public expression of 
confidence and trust in his professional skill 
and ability, was born in Carson county. Michi- 
gan, on the 15th of October, 1875, his parents 
being Thomas and Emily (Davis) Fuller, na- 
tives of Steuben and Genesee counties. New 
York, respectively. The Fullers were an old 
Vermont family and tradition states that their 
ancestors came to America on the Mayflower. 
two brothers crossing the Atlantic on that his- 
toric voyage. Solomon Fuller, the great- 
grandfather, removed from the Connecticut 
valley to New York. The Fullers have long 
been a family of farmers and Dr. Fuller of this 
review is the only one who has entered profes- 
sional life. His maternal grandfather. Thomas 
Davis, was likewise born in the Empire state 
and came to Michigan in t86o. settling in 
Carson City, where he died in 1900, at the age 
of seventy-four years, while his wife is still 
living. But two of his family, linwever. came 
to Michigan, Franklin and Thomas, the latter 
the father of our subject, arriving in this state 



alwut forty years ago, settling in ilontcalm 
county when it was an almost unbroken wil- 
derness. He is still living there upon the old 
family homestead, on which his son. Dr. Ful- 
ler, was born. His wife came with her parents 
to Michigan when a maiden of ten summers, 
her father taking up land from the government 
and transforming the tract into a productive 
farm. Her mother. Mrs. Caroline Davis, is 
still living and enjoying good health for one of 
her years. 

Thomas Fuller was twice married, and by 
the first union bad a daughter and a son : Fran- 
ces, now the wife of William Davis, who is liv- 
ing on the old Davis homestead at Carson 
City, and Scott, who resides at Aberdeen, 
South Dakota. Unto Thomas and Emily 
(Davis) Fuller were born two daughters and a 
son, the sisters of the Doctor being Ada and 
Eva Fuller. Ijoth of whom arc successful 
teachers. 

Dr. Fuller ])ursued his preliminary educa- 
tion in the district schools and afterward at- 
tended the high school at Carson City. Michi- 
gan. Determining upon the practice of med- 
icine as a life work he matriculated in the 
University of Michigan in 1895 'is a student in 
the medical department. He was graduated 
from the Saginaw Valley Medical College, at 
Saginaw. Michigan, on the 14th nf May. IQ03. 
and located ior practice at P.elding. this state, 
where he remained for nine montlis. On the 
1 2th of Feliruary. 1904. he removed to Eagle, 
where he npcneil an office and has since suc- 
cessfully followed his profession, soon demon- 
strating his ability to cope with the intricate 
problems that continually confront the physi- 
cian so that his patronage has constantly 
increased. 

On the 31st of October. 1899. Dr. Fuller 
was married to Miss Ida E. Stuckey, a daugh- 
ter of Henry B. and Florence fMoore) 
Stuckey. of Gratiot county. Michigan. They 
have one child, Paul M. Dr. Fuller has frater- 
nal relations with the Maccabees and the 
Gleaners and is examining physician for the 
latter. He is yet a young man but possesses 
ability of superior order, owing his success to 



314 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



earnest study of the principles of medicine and 
his conscientious regard of the obligations of 
the profession. 



GILES J. GIBBS. 



"Through struggles to success" contains in 
brief the life history of Giles J. Gibbs, who, 
encountering many dif^culties and obstacles in 
his earlier business career, overcame these by 
persistent and earnest purpose and as the years 
passed he prospered. He was for a long period 
connected with mercantile interests in St. Johns, 
also in real-estate dealing, and he possessed the 
energ}^ and firm purpose that enabled him to 
carry forward to successful completion what- 
ever he undertook. He was born in Jefferson 
count)', New York, Septemlaer 3, 1827. his par- 
ents being David and Hannah Gibbs, the for- 
mer a native of Connecticut, and the latter of 
New York. The father was a soldier in the 
war of 18 12 and died from injuries sustained 
while in battle. His wife passed away when 
their son Giles was only eight years of age. 
The Gibbs family was established in New Eng- 
land in an early day in the colonization of the 
new world. Giles J. Gibbs is the youngest of 
four children and the only one now living, the 
others having been Spencer \\'., Emily and 
Matilda. 

Deprived of a mother's care at a ver}^ early 
age, Giles J. Gibbs had no opportunity for ac- 
quiring an education, but he was early forced 
to begin life on his own account, meeting its 
difficult problems and facing its hard.ships. He 
was employed as a farm hand and in this way 
earned two hundred dollars which he held in 
notes against his employers. He worked for a 
Mr. Benedict and while there the family urged 
him to attend school, which he finally concluded 
to do, accompanying William Benedict and 
William Prine to Spring Arbor College, where 
he pursued his studies until his funds were ex- 
hausted. He mastered the English grammar 
and made good progress in mathematics but at 
length found himself fifty dollars in debt, which 



he was enabled to discharge, however, the fol- 
lowing season. Going to Jackson. Michigan,, 
he worked liy the month as a farm hand, earn- 
ing a little money in that way. and then made 
arrangements for a farm rif his own. purchas- 
ing sixty acres by the payment of fifty dollars 
in cash, giving notes for the remainder. 

Mr. Gibbs was then married in Branch 
county and took his wife to the new home, but 
he finally sold that farm and remoxed to a tract 
of land in Ionia county, locating in the village 
of M.'itherton, where he was living at the time 
of his wife's death. By wagon he traveled to 
Coldwater with his child, six months old, in 
order to leave the little one with relatives. Re- 
turning to Jackson he then engaged in the dray- 
ing business and later he turned his attention 
to the grocery business, but after conducting 
the same for a year and a half his entire stock 
was destroyed by fire. Receiving his insurance, 
he paid his debts but had nothing left with 
which to resume business. He then l)egan 
traveling for a drug house in Indianapolis, 
which he represented for a year at a salaiy of 
eight hundred dollars. 

In 1857 Mr. Gibbs arrived in St. Johns but 
the site of the city was almost covered with 
forest trees and he felt that he would not care 
to remain. However, being offered a position, 
he concluded to stay and later bought a business 
lot on Main street of Alvin Walker. In 1858 
he married again and for two years thereafter 
he followed various business pursuits. Later 
he built a store on his lot and stocked it with 
groceries, making some money during the 
period of the Civil war. He then tought forty 
acres of land surrounding his present home, 
which he subdivided and sold as village lots, 
realizing a handsome profit upon the invest- 
ment. He also engaged in the dr}'-goods busi- 
ness but did not find that a paying venture. He 
was in partnership with William Lazelle, under 
the fiiTTi style of Gibbs & Lazelle, and they sold 
out to D. C. Hurd. Mr. Gibbs afterward gave 
his attention for a time to his real-estate oper- 
ations and not only sold off the original forty- 
acre tract but also purchased and disposed of 
additional property. In 1867 he again em- 




GILES J. GIBBS. 



1 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



317 



barked in the grocery business, building a store 
on Clinton avenue, and for fifteen years he con- 
tinued successfully in the trade, selling out to 
O. P. Dewitt in 1882. He then retired from 
active commercial pursuits and has since en- 
joyed a well earned rest, giving his attention 
merely to the supervision of his invested inter- 
ests. He has built two brick blocks on Clinton 
avenue since the destruction of the wooden 
building by fire. He gave close and unre- 
mitting attention to his business for many years 
and it was this that now makes it possible for 
him to enjoy in comfort the evening of life, 
unburdened by the cares of business. 

On the 25th of March, 185 1. Mr. Giljbs 
was married to Miss Elizabeth Jane Graham, 
a daughter of David Graham, of Branch county, 
Michigan. She died Api'il 8, 1855, and their 
daughter Lois .\. died at the age of fifteen 
months, but she left a son. Judson D., who is 
now living in San Francisco, California. He 
has taken a prominent part in political affairs 
and during President Cleveland's second ad- 
ministration was appointed collector of the port 
of San Francisco. For his second wife Mr. 
Gibbs chose Sarah J. Yound, a daughter of 
Daniel Yound, of Ionia county. They were 
married Liuuary i. 1858. and traveled life's 
journey together until May 20, 1905, when 
Mrs. Gibbs passed away, at the age of seventy 
years. She was to her husband a faithful com- 
panion and helpmate, aiding him in every pos- 
sil)le way in his efforts to secure a home and 
comi)etence for he was a poor man when they 
were married. By her help, encouragement, 
perseverance and sacrifice, he was enabled to 
overcome all obstacles and lay the foundation 
for his present prosperity. She was ])rompt in 
acliciii. (|uick to see and grasp any opijortimity. 
and the words "it can't be done" never sprang 
to her lips. She was ever hopeful and faithful, 
understantling perfectly that "I can" is king 
and "I can't" a servant. Withal she was a 
most loving and luiselfish wife and mother. 
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Giljbs were Ixirn two daugh- 
ters : .\lma Elizabeth, who died May 20, 1862, 
in her fourth year; and Lizzie Lirofjue, who 
lives with her father in St. Johns. 



Mr. (iilibs visited California in 1890, but up 
to that time he had given little attention to 
travel or enjoyment, his attention being claimed 
entirely by his business pursuits. In politics 
he is a democrat but he has never been active 
in the party nor cared for prominence in that 
direction. He is a self-made man in the fullest 
sense of that oft misused term, his prosperity 
in life being due to his industry, integrity and 
an unfaltering ])urpose, which has enabled him 
in the face of difficulties and discouragements 
to ])ress steadily forward. He has now passed 
the seventy-eighth milestone on life's journey. 



LEWIS G. Mcknight. 

Lewis G. McKnight, a prominent represent- 
ative of the grain trade in St. Johns, is a native 
of Ohio, born July 26. 1845. His paternal 
grandfather. Robert McKnight, was for many 
years a resident of Ohio, where he spent his 
last days, farming being his life occupation. 
The family is of Scotch lineage and was 
founded in America by three brothers of the 
name who came from the land of the heather 
about four generations ago. They settled in 
different localities of Pennsylvania and one of 
these was James McKnight. the great-grand- 
father of our subject. William McKnight. the 
father, was born in Ohio and largely spent his 
youth and early manh<x)d in that stale, whence 
he came to Michigan in 1849. He was married 
in Dccrficld. Ohio, to Miss Lois Richards, who 
represented an old Vermont family, her father. 
Obadiaii Richards, removing from the Green 
Mountain State to New York after his mar- 
riage, and it was in the latter state that Mrs. 
McKnight was born. Her parents had six chil- 
dren, she being the second in order of birth in 
a family of three sons and three daughters. 

William McKnight was a minister of the 
Methodist Episcopal church and filled a num- 
ber of pulpits in Michigan at an early day. He 
ci>ntinued in active pastoral work up to the 
time of his death, which occurred in 1872, 
when he was fifty-eight years of age. His in- 



3i8 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



i 



fluence was of no restricted order and he took 
an active part in tlic mora! development of 
various communities in the middle part of the 
nineteenth century, while his influence yet re- 
mains as a blessed benediction to many who 
knew him. His wife survived until 1898, de- 
parting this life at the advanced age of eighty 
years. She was a devoted mother and a faith- 
ful friend. ]K)ssessing qualities of heart and 
mind that endeared her to all with whom she 
came in contact. Rev. and Mrs. William Mc- 
Knight become the parents of three children, 
but Roliert died at the age of twelve years and 
James at the age of fifteen years. 

Lewis C;. McKnight. the youngest and only 
sur\-iving member of the family, acquired his 
early education in the common schools. He 
began farming for himself on the old home- 
stead, where he remained until 1891. when he 
removed to St. Johns. Four years later he 
purchased the Brown Brothers Elevator and 
has since continued active in Inisiness as a 
dealer in grain, coal, lime and cement. He 
does business to the amount of o\'er forty 
thousand dollars per year and is one of the 
leading representatives of the trade in this part 
of the state, ^^'atchful of the business indica- 
tions pointing to success he has, through the 
utilization of opportunity, through close appli- 
cation and unfaltering diligence, gained a 
creditable position as a representative of com- 
mercial interests in Clinton county. 

On the 23d of .\ugust, 1866, Mr. McKnight 
was married to Miss Eliza Pearl, a daughter 
of Stephen Pearl, of Greenbush township. 
They have one d-iughter, Daisy L. Mr. Pearl, 
father of Mrs. McKnight. came from New 
York to Clinton county in 1837. settling in 
Ovid township, whence he afterward removed 
to Greenbush townsliip. He represented this 
district in lioth the house and senate of the 
state legislature ami was treasurer of his 
county for ten years. He also engaged in 
merchandising for a time at Grand Ledge and 
was a man who wielded a wide influence in 
public thought and action, while his record 
conferred honor and dignitx' on the county 
which honored him. 



Mr. IMcKnight holds membershi]) in the 
Methodist Episcopal church and in the Odd 
Fellows lodge, relations which indicate the 
character of the man and his loyal support to 
principles that develop along lines that com- 
mand confidence, good will and honor in every 
land and clime. He is not an active partisan 
in politics but for two years he served as town- 
ship treasurer of Greenbush. 



CH.\KLES EDDY 



Charles Eddy, who has been associated 
with business interests in Elsie for twenty- 
seven years, has intimate knowledge concern- 
ing the histiir\ of the state, its progress and 
develo]iment, for he has resided within its 
borders since 1856, while in Clinton count)' he 
has made his home since 1878. The b'ddy 
familv is of English lineage and bis ancestors 
were among the pilgrims wlm souglit refuge 
in New England, crossing the Atlantic on the 
Handmaid, a historic sailing vessel of the earl)' 
]>art of the se\enteenth century. J(^hn R. 1-lddy, 
the grandfather, was a native of New Eng- 
land and removed to New York, locating at 
Sacket Harbor. Reuben Eddy, the father, 
was born in ^'ermont and was reared in the 
Empire state, where be remained imtil he 
sought a home in what was then the far west. 
He made his way to Ohio, becoming one of the 
first settlers of Lorain county. He was there 
reared and married. Miss Anna Seigsworth 
becoming his wife. She was a native of 
England and when eight )'ears of age crossed 
the \tlantir to tlie new world with her par- 
ents, the family home lieing established in New 
York, while later representatives of the name 
went to Ohio. Reuben Eddy opened u]) a 
farm in the Buckeye state and there reared 
his family, his remaining days being passed 
uiKin the old homestead, which he had trans- 
formed from a wild tract into a richly culti- 
vated farm. His wife survived him for a few 
vears. Thev were worthy pioneer people of 
Ohio and took an active and helpful part in 



I 



PAST AND I'RESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



319 



reclaiming their portion of tlie state tor the 
uses of the white man. In tlieir family were 
three sons and one danghter, of whom Charles 
is the eldest. John is still livini,^ in ( )hiii. while 
T-iither luldy is now a resident of h'lsie. .\nn- 
ette is also residing in Ohin. 

Charles Eddy, whose name intn "luces this 
record, was the first white child born in Cam- 
den township. I-orain county. Ohio, his natal 
day being- December iS, iS_:;3. The cimininu 
schools afforded him his early educational ])n\ - 
ileges and he afterward attentled ( )berliu Col- 
lege, Jhus acquiring a good ediicati'm. 1 le jios- 
sesses natural mechanical talent and skill and 
in early life worked at the carpenter's and join- 
er's trade. Thinking to enjoy better business 
advantages in a newer district of the middle 
west, he made his way to Michigan, locating 
first at Fairfield. Shiawassee county, where he 
was emjiloyed in a rejiair and gun shop, mak- 
ing and re])airing gmis and doing other kinds 
of mechanical work. He continued at b'air- 
field for several years and in 1S78 rcmo\ed to 
Elsie, where he established himself in busi- 
ness. Here he opened a stock of jewelry rmd 
was also engaged in rejxiiring watches and 
clocks. He remained an active factur in the 
business life of the cit\- until the fall of i()04 
and belongs to that class of reiiresentative 
men. wli<i. while itromoting individual success, 
also contribute to the general prosi)erity and 
public growth. He is known as an enteqjris- 
ing merchant and a man of keen business sa- 
gacity. He purchased laud, built a business 
house and residence and also invested in two 
tracts of farm land, so that his i)roperty inter- 
ests iiecame e.xtensive and valuable. 

Mr. Eddy was married in Iowa to Miss 
Sarah B. Reynolds, who was born in New 
"N'ork. reared in Ohio and afterward went to 
Iowa. There is one daughter by this mar- 
riage. Ida J., now the wife of Frank Clemens, 
a farmer of FJsie. Politically Mr. i-lddy is a 
stanch republican, who has continuously sup- 
ported the men and measures <if the ])art)' 
since casting his first ])resi(Iential ballot for 
.\braham Lincoln in i860. He was elected 
and served as township treasurer, was super- 



visor and clerk of Fairfield township, Shiawas- 
see county, and was elected township clerk at 
F.lsie. in which cajiacity he served for several 
terms, lie acted for fifteen consecutive years 
as \illage clerk, for four years as deputy sur- 
vevor and as county surveyor for ten years. 
llis cai)aliilit\ in ollice is indicated by the fact 
tltat he has been so long retained in the posi- 
tions to which he has been called. He is well 
known in .""^t. Johns, b'.lsie and Clinton county 
;is a man of wide exjierience and excellent busi- 
ness ahilitv. of tried integrity and worth, and 
in whatever position he has been found he has 
jiroved a faithful and efficient officer, while 
in business life his activity rmd reliabi!it\- have 
been numbered among his strong and salient 
char;icteristics. 



JOHN FREMONT SKIXXI-.R. 

Tohn lM-emont Skinner, living on section 21, 
h'ssex townshii), is one of the active and pros- 
perous farmers of his locality, his possessions 
aggregating two hundred and forty acres in 
twd farms in addition to the home i)roperty of 
eightv acres, which is a well improved tract of 
land. Mr. Skimier is one of the native sons of 
the countv. his birth having occurred in Essex 
townshi]) on the i ,^th of June. 1856. His 
father. Horace M. Skinner, w.is a native of Xj 
the Green Mountain state, born in Montpelier, 
Vermont, in iSii;. There he remained until he 
had attained his majority and when a young 
man came westward to Michigan with an elder 
brother, arriving in this state about 1840. He 
first located in Eaton county and later in Clin- 
ton county, settling in Essex township. He 
was married here to a widow, Mrs. Eliza .\nn 
North, nee Everett. In order to establish a 
home of his own Mr. Skinner purchased wild 
timber land in Essex township, which he cleared 
and improved, developing an excellent farm of 
three hundred and twenty acres. Subsequently 
he bought more land and became one of the 
prosperous and prominent agriculturists of his 
conuuunitv. wnniing success in his business un- 



320 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



dertakings. His life was devoted to general 
agricultural pursuits and upon the home fann 
which he developed he reared his family and 
made his home until called to his final rest, 
passing away on the 5th of December. 1895. ' 
He was three times married. 

John F. Skinner is one of a familv of two 
sons and two daughters born of his father's 
second marriage. He remained upon the old 
family homestead until he had attained his ma- 
jority and assisted in carrying on the work of 
the farm. He then located on the farm which 
he now makes his home and this he began to 
clear and improve. He lived in a log house for 
a numl^er of years but in 1902 erected a neat 
brick residence, which is one of the attractive 
rural homes in Clinton county. It is built in 
modern style of architecture, supplied with fur- 
nace heat and equipped with other modern 
conveniences. Mr. Skinner with three sisters 
inherited one hundred and si.xty acres of the 
old home farm and he operates that tract of 
land in connection with his own homestead 
He makes a business of raising Shropshire 
sheep and now has a flock of ninety ewes. He 
also has two pure blooded registered rams. To 
some extent he engages in raising horses and 
all of his stock upon his farm are of good 
grades. 

Mr. Skinner was married in Ionia, Michi- 
gan, August 5. 1880. to Miss Maria L. Ryan. 
a native of ^ilassachusetts, born in Milford. 
and a daughter of W'illiam Ryan. She was 
reared and educated at St. Johns, where her 
father and the familx- located in t86t. Mr. 
and Mrs. Skinner now have three children : 
Bernice N., Anita F. and Carroll J. The sec- 
ond daughter is the wife of William Smith. 
who assists Mr. Skimier in carr}-ing nn the 
home fann. 

Interested in community affairs Mr. Skin- 
ner is a champion of progressive measures and 
has done much to aid in the public progress and 
improvement in his locality. He has always 
voted the republican ticket since casting his 
first presidential ballot for Rutherford B. 
Hayes in 1876. He was elected and served for 
one term as highwav commissioner, but never 



sought or cared for office. He is an exem])lary 
representative of the ^lasonic fraternity, hold- 
ing membership in the lodge at Maple Rapids, 
and he and his wife belong to the Eastern 
Star. The fact that many of his stanchest 
friends are numbered among those who have 
known him from his boyhood days down to the 
present is an indication that his has been an 
active and honorable career. 



ROBERT B. BURT. 



'Squire Robert B. Burt, living on section 15, 
Essex township, is carrying on his farm work 
in a manner that indicates his thorough 
familiarity with all departments of agricultural 
life and also a determined purpose that has 
resulted in success in his labors. He owns one 
hundred and sixty acres, constituting one of 
the good farms of the locality. He was born 
in Putnam county, New York, on the 30th of 
November. 1832, a son of Lewis Burt, a native 
of Connecticut, in which state he was reared. 
\\nien a young man. howexcr. he removed to 
Putnam county. New York, where he was mar- 
ried to Miss Rachel Drew, a native of the Em- 
pire state. Mr. Burt was a carpenter and joiner 
by trade, following that pursuit in the early 
years of his manhood but later he turned his 
attention to farming. His last years were 
passed in A'ates county. New York. In his 
family were four sons and two daughters, of 
x\ 111 im Robert B. Burt is now the only surviv- 
ing member. He removed with his family from 
Putnam to Yates county. New ^'ork. where he 
was reared, attending the pulilic :ind high 
schools of his home locality. He accjuired a 
_good academic education and was a teacher 
through six winter seasons in Yates and Tioga 
counties, proving a capable and popular edu- 
cator. 

On the 28th of May, 1867. in Tioga county, 
Squire Burt was united in marriage to Miss 
Lois M. Galpin, a native of the Empire state. 
He then followed farming and also engaged in 
teaching through the winter seasons. In 186S 




ROBERT 11. P.URT. 



I 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



323 



he removed westward to Michigan, located 
where he now resides, having at first one hun- 
dred acres of land, of which thirty-five acres 
have been cleared. He at once began to clear 
and cultivate the remainder, grub out tlie 
stumps, cut away the brush and in course of 
time transformed the tract into productive 
fields. Some years later he added more land 
and as his financial resources have permitted he 
has continued the improvement of the propertv, 
building a good residence and barns and adding 
all modern equijiments found upon a model 
farm of the twentieth century, lie is a prac- 
tical mechanic and did most of the building 
himself. He has planted some fruit upon his 
place and his farm work has been carefully con- 
ducted and mruiaged .so that his efforts ha\e 
l)een a source of gratifying income. 

In 1893 Squire IJurt was called ujwu to 
mourn the loss of his wife, who died on the 
4th of .\pril of that year, leaving two children: 
Edw'in, who is married and lives upon a part 
of the home farm and has two children, b'lor- 
ence and Edna. The daughter. Ida Burt, lie- 
came the wife of Deloss Hicks, a farmer of 
this township, and has two sons, Robert and 
Leon. On October 11. igoo, Mr. Burt was 
again married in Tioga county, his second union 
l)eing with Miss Lucy B. Manning, who was 
born and reared in New York and was a teacher 
before her marriage. 

Squire Burt is prominent in community af- 
fairs and his efforts have lieen of ])ractical 
value along many lines of progress. In politics 
he is a republican where national issues are 
involved but at local elections votes independ- 
ently, supporting the best men. He has been 
elected and served for twelve consecutive years 
as justice of the peace, was also school inspector 
one term, tlrain commissioner for eleven years 
and for many years school director. He has 
also served as treasurer and assessor and in all 
positions of honor and trust that have been 
conferred upon him has discharged his duties 
with a promptness and fidelity that have won 
him high encomiums from his fellow townsmen. 
His interest in the walfare and progress of the 
community is deep and sincere and his loyalty 



t(i the general good is above question. He is 
therefore justly numbered among the public- 
sjjirited citizens and is well classed with the 
progressive farmers of Essex township. 



WILLIAM J. DAGGETT. 

William J. Daggett, projirietor of the first 
foundry of St. Johns, which he is conducting 
under the name of the St. Johns Iron Works, 
is a representative business man of Clinton 
county, enterprising and watchful of indica- 
tions pointing to success. Through bis utiliza- 
tion of opportunity and the development and 
exercise of his native talents and energies he 
has won a creditable position in industrial cir- 
cles. He was born in Eagle township. Wyo- 
ming county. New York, May 27, 1853, his par- 
ents being Reuben E. and Mary A. (Wright) 
Daggett, both of whom were natives of the 
Empire state. The wife and mother died, 
however, when her son William J. was but two 
years of age and in 1836 Reuben E. Daggett 
removed from New "S'ork to Clinton county, 
settling in rireenbush township, where be pur- 
chased a farm of eighty acres and with the e.x- 
cc])tii>n of a brief period spent in Dallas town- 
ship he remained a resident of the former 
township u]) to the time of his demise, which 
occurred on the i6th of .\pril. 1903. when he 
was seveiUy-five years of age. Reuben E. 
Daggett bad three brothers and one, George 
W. Daggett, is now living in Gratiot coimty, 
Michigan. The others. Charles S. and Loren 
L.. are both decea.sed. William J. Daggett is 
one of a family of four children : Edward W.. 
wlu) is living in Duplain township: Marv E., 
the wife of John Prentice, of Pontiac, Michi- 
gan, and William J. and James W., twins. The 
latter is now engaged in farming in Greenbush 
township. 

William J. Daggett, brought to the west 
when about three \ears of age, has spent 
almost his entire life in Michigan. His edu- 
cation was acquired in the district schools and 
w hen twenty years of age he began farming on 



324 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



I 



his own account in Dallas township, where he 
remained for four years. He then purchased a 
farm in Washington township, Gratiot county 
Michigan, which he improved and cultivated 
for twenty-one years. In his agricultural pur- 
suits he won a fair measure of success, care- 
fully cultivating his fields and carrying on the 
work of the farm, so that year after year his 
capital was increased. In the spring of 1900 
he came to St. Johns and purchased a half in- 
terest in the St. Johns Iron Works of George 
F. Cross, thus entering into partnership with 
George Weller. Air. Daggett was made presi- 
dent of the company and after Mr. Weller's 
death he purchased his interest in the business, 
becoming sole owner in January, 1902. He 
has since conducted the industry under the 
name of the St. Johns Iron Works. This was 
the first foundry of the city and has been in 
operation for more than forty years. Through- 
out his entire life Mr. Daggett has displayed 
exceptional mechanical ingenuity and is the in- 
ventor and patentee of W. J. Daggett's pat- 
ented double expansion cast iron boat culverts. 
varying in size from ten to forty-eight inches 
and costing from ninety cents to eight dollars 
per foot. This has been patented to cover both 
the United States and Canada. Among the 
numerous articles manufactured in the foundry 
are snow plow rollers six and a half feet in 
diameter which sweeps the sno\\- fdr a width 
of sixteen feet. The output of the foundry 
also includes small rollers and stone boats and 
the business is now large and profitable, the 
plant being equipped with the latest impro\cd 
machinery to facilitate the work which is car- 
ried on along progressive business lines. 

Politically Mr. Daggett is a democrat and 
is a liberal-minded citizen whose aid and co- 
operation can be counted upon to further 
progressive measures for the general good. 
His interest centers in his family, he being a 
man of strong domestic tastes. In 1S77 he 
was married to Miss Nettie Ridneonr, a daugh- 
ter of David Ridneonr, of Bengal township, 
Clinton county, and they have become the par- 
ents of thirteen children, of whom three died in 
earlv vouth. while ten are vet living, namelv : 



Elva, A., the wife of Merton Terry, of St. 
Johns: Floyd E., who married Nellie Holmes, 
of Ypsilanti, Michigan : Herman and Herbert, 
twins : Jay, Netia, Merrett, Ruby, Lewis and 
Nettie Arlene, all of whom are at home. The 
various members of the family occupy an en- 
viable position in die social circles in which 
they move and during their residence in the 
city Mr. and Mrs. Daggett have gained warm 
friends here. 



CHARLES F. CRELL. 

Charles F. Crell. who is engaged in taking 
contracts for building cement and steel bridges, 
makes his home in Elsie, and is an enterprising 
and prominent business man of Clinton 
county, wherein he has made his home since 
iS'/<). He is a native of New York, having 
lieen born in Rensselaer county, on the nth of 
June, t86o. His father, William Crell, was a 
native of Germany, in which country he grew 
to mature years, and when a young man emi- 
grated to the LInited States, locating in 
Rensselaer county. New York, where he was 
married to Miss Mary Nolan, a native of Ire- 
land. Mr. Crell was a stonemason by trade 
and followed that business during his active 
business life. In 18S1 he removed westward to 
Michigan and located in St. Johns. 

Charles F. Crell of this review was reared to 
manhood in the Empire state and acquired his 
education in the common schools. He came 
west to Michigan in 1879 and began working 
on a farm by the month, being thus employed 
for five years. Following his marriage, in 
1883, he located on a farm north of St. Johns, 
where he made his home for a year, removing 
on the e.Kpiration of that period to Duplain 
township, where he bought a farm which he 
still owns. He was successfully engaged in 
agricultural pursuits there for eighteen years 
and now owns one hundred and seventy acres 
of land in two farms, both of which are well 
improved. His life has been characterized by 
unflagging industry and perseverance and his 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



325 



efforts liave been crowned witli tlie success that 
always follows earnest labor. 

Mr. Crell was first married in Washtenaw 
county. Michigan, on the 7th of February. 
i8R_^. the lady of his choice being Miss Melissa 
Van Duyne. a daughter of John \''an Duync. 
an early settler of Clinton county. There were 
two children by that union. Subsequently Mr. 
Crell was married in Duplain township to Miss 
Alice Bond, who was horn, reared and edu- 
cated in Clinton county and is a daughter of 
Stephen Bond, one of the early settlers here. 
The children of his first marriage are Elsie M. 
and Ralph W. Crell, and by the second mar- 
riage there is one son. Harrison B. Crell. 

In the }ear 1902 Mr. Crell removed to Elsie, 
where he bought a lot and built a neat resi- 
dence, where he has since resided. Politically 
he is identified with the republican party and 
has taken quite an active interest in its work, 
especially in behalf of its local successes. He 
was elected commissioner of highways and by 
re-election served for two terms. During his 
incumbency in the office he began building 
concrete bridges and made a specialty of this 
kind of work. He later organized a company 
for the construction of concrete bridges and 
has now built up an extensive business, em- 
ploying at the present time three different 
forces of men. having thirty-five men in his 
service altogether. Some of the bridges built 
by them in the past year ( 1905) are fifty- 
foot spans. They have built bridges in Clinton. 
Gratiot and adjoining counties and have 
bridge contracts now for over a year ahead, 
working with their present force. Mr. Crell is 
active manager and at the head of the Elsie 
Concrete Bridge Company and the success of 
the enterprise is attributable in verv large 
measure to his efforts. The company also 
handles and deals in structural steel and in the 
year TO05 have sold more than four hundred 
thousand pounds of structural steel and five 
carloads of steel culverts. 

Mr. Crell is a man of sound judgment, prac- 
tical in all that he does, and in his business ca- 
reer has met with gratifying success. He be- 
longs to the Independent Order of Odd Fel- 



lows at Elsie. He is likewise a inembcr of the 
encampment of Maccabees and the Fraternal 
Insurance and his standing in social as well as 
business circles is a high and creditable one. 



\V.\RRFX AND ERI POTTER. 

Warren and Eri Potter. living on section 22, 
01i\e township, are among the well known and 
prosperous farmers of this community and 
own and operate two hundred and thirtv acres. 
constituting a valuable farm. They are native 
sons of Michigan. Warren Potter having been 
born in Oakland county. February 2, 1850, 
while his brother, Eri Potter, was born in La- 
peer county, March 14, 1832. Their father, 
Calvin M. Potter, was born in Chili, New 
"N'ork. in 1821. When a young man he came 
west to Michigan with his father, Joel Potter, 
wdio removed from the state of New York and 
became one of the first settlers of Oakland 
county. There he entered one hundred and 
si.xty acres of land from the government, the 
tract lying in the midst of a dense forest, but 
he at once began to clear and improve the place 
and made thereon a good farm. Calvin M. 
Potter was married in Oakland countv to 
Caroline Sinnmers. who was born in New Jer- 
sey and was brought to Michigan in her early 
childhood days, lieing reared and educated in 
Oakland county. Her father. William Sum- 
mers, died in New^ Jersey, and Mrs. Summers 
and her family afterward came to the west, 
settling in Oakland county. Michigan. Calvin 
M. Potter purchased his father's old home 
place and resided thereon, spending his last 
days on that tract of land, which had l)een en- 
tered from the government. His attention was 
always given to general farming pursuits and 
he died on the old homestead in 1856. His 
wife survived him for a number of years and 
spent her last days with her sons in Olive 
township, passing away January 29. 1896. 
when seventy-four years of age. 

The Potter brothers were reared upon the 
old homestead place in Oakland county, but 



326 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



eventually sold that farm and in 1878 came tu 
Clinton county, purchasing the farm upon 
which they now reside. They first bought one 
hundred and twenty acres and at once began to 
till the fields and made further improvements 
on the property. In this work they prospered 
and as the years passed they added to the farm 
until two liundred and thirty acres are now 
included within its boundaries. They have 
erected good buildings and well kept fences 
divide the place into fields of convenient size. 
An orchard also yields its fruits in season and 
the sale of the farm products brings a good 
annual financial return. In connection with the 
cultivation of cereals they make a business of 
raising and feeding stock and they have a fine 
rock well one hundred and sixty-five feet deep, 
which affords an abundance of good water for 
the stock. They are breeders and dealers in 
Poland-China hogs but make a specialty of 
Shropshire shec]) and in the raising of lioth 
grain and stock are meeting with success. The 
brothers are advocates of democratic princi- 
ples but have never been aspirants for office. 
Warren Potter is a carpenter and joiner by 
trade and followed that pursuit for twelve 
vears in Oakland and Clinton counties Init now 
gives his undix'ided attention to his farming in- 
terests. Eri Potter is a member of Dewitt 
lodge. T. O. O. F., in which he has filled all of 
the chairs, is a past grand and has been a 
representative to the grand lodge. The broth- 
ers enjov in high measure the esteem of those 
with whom they have been associated because 
of their activity and reliabilit}- in business 
affairs. 



SAMUEL TUCKER. 



Samuel Tucker, who recently sold his farm 
on section 16, Dewitt township, with the in- 
tention of retiring and making his home in the 
village of Dewitt, was one of the prosperous 
and well-to-do farmers of his locality and his 
landed possessions comprised two hundred and 
twelve acres of rich and productive soil, the 
home farm being pleasantly situated within 



two miles of the village of Dewitt. He dates 
his residence in Clinton county from 1865 and 
is one of the worthy citizens that the Empire 
state has furnished to Michigan, for his birth 
occurred in Qiautauqua county on the 29th of 
.\pril, 1834. His father, Samuel W. Tucker, 
was also a native of New York and was a son 
of James Tucker, one of the early settlers of 
Pennsylvania, who in later years removed to 
New York. In the state of his nativity Samuel 
W. Tucker was married to ]\Iiss Lucina Rew, 
also a native of New York. They l^egan their 
domestic life upon a farm and reared their fam- 
ily in Chautauqua and in Erie counties, spend- 
ing their entire lives there. They had four 
sons and five daughters, all of whom reached 
years of maturity, married and became heads 
of families with the exception of one son, but 
Samuel Tucker, and his sister, Mrs. Lucina 
Peters, of Berrien count}-, Michigan, are the 
only ones now living. 

Samuel Tucker was reared to manhood in 
Chautauqua county. New York, and when a 
young- man went to Erie county, where he at- 
tended school and worked upon a fann by the 
month. Later he rented a farm for a few years 
and thus made his start upon an independent 
business venture. He was married in F,rie 
county, December i i, 1859, to Miss Eliza Jane 
Thompkins, a native of that county and a 
(laughter of James Thompkins, who was born 
in New Jersey and married Phoebe Anne Sear- 
ing, likewise a native of New Jersey. Mrs. 
Tucker was reared in Erie county, completed 
her literarv education in Clarence .\cademy and 
was a successful teacher for some years before 
her marriage. Following their marriage Mr. 
and Mrs. Tucker began their domestic life in 
Genesee county, where he carried on general 
agricultural pursuits for several years, during 
which time one son was born unto them there. 

The year T865 witnessed their removal to 
Michigan and Mr. Tucker bought and located 
upon the farm where they resided until his re- 
tirement in 1905, when he sold the farm to his 
son. He first became owner of eighty acres of 
wild timber land and in the midst of the forest 
began opening up a farm. The first summer he 




.MR. .-\.\D MRS. SAMUEL TUCKER. 



21 



I 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



329 



rented a log house Imt after a sliort time this 
pioneer cabin was replaced by a small frame 
dwelling. .\s bis financial resources increasei-1 
he bought forty acres of land adjoining his 
original tract and from time to time has further 
extended the Ixaindaries of his property until 
he now has two hundred and twelve acres, on 
which he has erected a good, neat and substan- 
tial residence, also good barns and outbuildings. 
In fact the farm lias three sets of buildings upon 
it. There are large (|uantities of fruit and no 
equi])ment of a model farm of the twentieth 
century is lacking, for .Mr. Tucker has ever 
been a hard-working, industrinus man. who has 
likewise kept in tnucli with mudern jirogress in 
agricultural lines. He cleared the land ;ind 
made a well improxed farm and was considered 
one of the successful agriculturists of the town- 
ship. 

He and his family experienced many of the 
hardships and ])rivations incident to frontier 
life, for when the}- located here no roads had 
been laid out and they bad no neighbors. In- 
deed it seemed as if the work of progress ;uid 
improvement had scarccl\- been begun in this 
l^irtion of the state and Mr. Tucker has aided 
largely in ad\ancing the work of general im- 
provement. I'nto him and his estimable wife, 
who has indeeil been a worthy het])mate to him 
on lifes journey, have been born four children. 
Their eldest son. 1-rank. reached manhood and 
married Ida .\verill but died here in 1889. 
Cash married Drusilla Smith and they have a 
daughter, Ethel, who is w ith them in their home 
in Dewitt. \v,\r\ married l\a Sloan and the\ 
are also living in Dewitt. l-'red married 
Josephine Pierce and is a resident farmer of 
Olive township. 

Politically Mr. Tucker is an e.irnest repub- 
lican, having supjxirted the principles of the 
party since its organization in 1856, but he has 
never been an office seeker nor wouhl he con- 
sent to become a candidate for political prefer- 
ment. He has devotcfl his time to his farm 
with excellent success. .\ memlx'r of the Ma- 
sonic fraternity, he is identified with Dewitt 
lodge, has filled all of its chairs ruid has been 
past master and representative to the grand 



lodge of the state. Both he and his wife are 
charter members of the Eastern Star and they 
are well known in Clinton and Ingham counties, 
where Mr. Tucker is recognized as a man of 
good liusiness ability, of strict integrity of char- 
acter anfl worth, enjoying and meriting the 
contideiice ;ui(l esteem of the community. 



JAMES C. DAVIS. 

The business enter])rises of Bath find a 
worthy representative in James C. Davis, who 
for the jjast eleven years has been connected 
with mercantile ])ursuits there. He was born 
in Ingham county, Michigan, January 28. 
1843. his ])arents being t^hauncey and Ruth 
(Smith) Davis, lx)th of whom were natives of 
Xew ^'ork, the former born in Chenango 
count}- and the latter in Oneida county. The 
father carried on farming for a number of 
years in the county of his nativity and on com- 
ing west to Michigan, settled in Ingham 
comity, about 1830. being a pioneer resident 
who found an undevelojied region covered 
with the native forest and in the midst of the 
green woods he hewed init a farm, entering his 
land from tiie go\ernment. This he cleared 
and fenced, making a gocxl home but the fam- 
ily experienced all the hardshi])s anfl ])ri\ations 
inciilent to ])ioneer life as ma}- well be im- 
agined for few- roads had been laid out through 
the forest and their nearest neighbor was seven 
miles away. They had to depend largely upon 
the products of the farm for all that they had 
as it was an arduous task to go to mill or mar- 
ket and money necessary for the jnirchases was 
then very scarce. .\s the years passed, how- 
ever, the farm was developed and became 
l)rofitable. l*".ventually the father sold this land 
and located on Pine lake, near the village where 
he lived for a few- years, when he again sold 
out and bought a farm near the jiresent site of 
the .\gricultural College. The latter place con- 
tinued to be his home for ten or twelve years 
and he once more dis]xised of his property 
and took up his alxule in Okemos, Ingham 



330 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



count)-, where he purchased a sawmill and en- 
gaged in tlie manufacture of lumber, continu- 
ing at that place until his death, which oc- 
airred when he was sixty-three years of age. 
He had sun-ived his wife for fifteen years. 

James C. Davis was reared to manhood in 
Ingham county and his common-school educa- 
tion was supplemented by study in an old 
academy of pioneer times and in the Agricul- 
tural College. In early life he learned the 
builder's trade, which he followed for thirty- 
five years, becoming a contractor and builder 
of Ingham and Clinton counties. He has 
erected numerous buildings in these localities 
and many substantial strtictures still stand as 
monuments to his skill and handiwork. For 
forty years he has resided in Clinton county 
at intervals, but took up his abode permanently 
here in 1880. 

In July, 1872, in Lansing, ocau-red the 
marriage of James C. Davis and Miss Ella M. 
Smith, a native of Ingham county, who was 
reared and educated there. They began their 
domestic life where they reside, Mr. Davis 
building the house. He has owned the land 
for forty years and has placed substantial im- 
provements thereon. He and his wife have 
become the parents of a daughter and two 
sons : Bessie, a well educated young lady, who 
is now engaged in teaching; Chauncey, who is 
married and resides at Bath ; and Ralph, at 
home. 

Politically Mr. Davis is independent, sup- 
porting men and measures regardless of party 
affiliation, but formerly was a republican. He 
has served as township clerk for three terms 
and has done effective and beneficial service 
for the schools as a member of the school 
board. He has himself been a teacher of orna- 
mental penmanshi]) and is an excellent scribe. 
He is regarded as a successful all-around busi- 
ness man. well known in Lansing and St. 
Johns, and at all times is found reliable and 
faithful to the trust reposed in him. His resi- 
dence in the village and county covers more 
than a quarter of a century and he is regarded 
as a gentleman of genuine worth, who from 
pioneer times down to the present has been the 



advocate and supporter of all measures that 
have resulted in the progress and impro\-ement 
of this portion of the state. 



WILLIAM SCHA\'EV. 

\\ illiam Schavey is the owner of one of the 
lUdSt attracti\-e modern homes in W'acousta 
and Watertown township, and he also has val- 
ual)lc farming interests, comprising three hun- 
dred and twenty acres of rich and productive 
land. He was born in Ohio, on the 22d of 
August. 1865. his parents being Theodore and 
Rebecca (Heitmeyer) Schavey, natives of 
Germany and Ohio respectively. They were 
for many years natives of the Buckeye state 
and in 1872 came to Michigan, settling in De- 
witt township. Clinton county, while at the 
present time they reside in the ^'illage of De- 
witt. In their family were nine children: W^il- 
liam ; Carrie : Minnie, the wife of John Wer- 
incke, of Ohio; Bertha, the wife of John 
\\>llman, of Watertown township; Elsie; Fred; 
Edward ; Harrison and Harriet, the last two 
being twins. 

William Schavey was educated in the dis- 
trict schools of Dewitt township and also in a 
business college at Lansing, being thus well 
ef|ui]5ped for the practical and responsible du- 
ties of life. He then returned to the home 
farm, where he remained until 1890, when he 
l)ouglit land on section 17, Watertown town- 
ship, to which he has since added until his pos- 
sessions at the present time aggregate three 
hundred and twenty acres. This is well im- 
proved land and ujion the home fami he has 
good buildings and all modern e(|uipments. In 
1905 he erected a fine basement barn, thirty- 
fnnr by eighty-eight feet valued at fourteen 
hundred dollars. He likewise has an attractive 
residence which is one of the pleasing homes of 
Wacousta and Watertown township. 

On the 4th of Februar}-. 1890. was cele- 
brated the marriage of Mr. Schavey and Miss 
Fjnma Gross, a daughter of Hugo Gross, of 
Watertown township. They now have five 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



33^ 



cliildren. Arcliie, Earl. Clayton. Leon and 
Florence. Li his political views Mr. Schavey 
is a repnhlican and is active and influential in 
support of the party. He served as township 
clerk for one year, as supervisor for four terms 
and in 1900 was elected sheriff of Clinton 
county, filling- the office until the ist of Jan- 
uary. i<x:)5. when he retired from the positifm 
as he had entered it — with the confidence and 
regard of the general public. He has since 
1 90 1 Ijeen a member of the Masonic fraternity 
and also belongs to the Modern Woodmen 
camp. During fifteen years of an active busi- 
ness career he has worked his way steadily up- 
ward to his present substantial position. His 
name is an honored one on commercial paper 
and his business record is such as any man 
might be proud to possess. He commands the 
entire confidence and respect of his business as- 
sociates and is recognized as a man of marked 
enterprise and determination. 



CH.\RLFS W. POPE. 

Charles W. Pope, living on section 15, Vic- 
tor townshi]). where he devotes his energies to 
the tilling of the soil and the raising of stock, 
has for forty-five years made his home in Clin- 
ton county and is therefore numbered among 
its early settlers. Mot cover, he belongs to that 
class of representative .\merican citizens who 
while advancing indi\idual interests also con- 
tribute in large measure to i)ublic prrigress. 
He has a deep and sincere attachment for 
America, the land of his adoption. He was 
Ixirn in Kentshire. England, .\ugust 7. 1848. 
and his father. William Po])e. was a nati\e of 
the same locality, where he was reared to man- 
hood and married, the lady of his choice being 
Miss Charlotte Sotherden. likewise a native of 
England. They became the parents of three 
sons and a daughter, including .\lbert Pope, a 
merchant residing in Bloomfield. Ontario 
county. New ^'ork : William : and Hattie. the 
wife of a Mr. Rector, an undertaker, of dene- 
se<i. New ^'ork. In the vear i8^o the father 



emigrated w ith his family to the new world and 
made his way to Onondaga county. New York. 
He afterward removed to Ontario county, that 
state, where he resided for a short time, his 
death there occurring about 1854. His wife 
survived him and later married again. 

Charles W. Pope was Init two years old 
when brought by his parents to America and 
was a little lad of nnly six years at the time of 
his father's death. He went to live with the 
family with wIkjui lie remained until he had 
attained his majority and with them came to 
Michigan in i860. He worked by the month 
as a farm hand and saved about one thousand 
dollars while employed in that way. He then re- 
solved to carry on farming pursuits on his own 
account and was married here .\pril 5, 1876, to 
Miss Martha Parker, a sister of Epson and 
N^ewell Parker, who are mentioned elsewhere 
in this volume. Mrs. Pope was born, reared 
and educated here and by her marriage became 
the mother of two sons, Floyd, a steam en- 
gineer, of Chicago, and Miles, at home. There 
are two girls, nieces of Mrs. Pope. Sarah and 
Marian P.. who have made their home with 
their uncle and aunt since the death of their 
])arents. who passed away when the elder sister 
was twehe vears of age and the vounger seven 
}ears old. 

I'rior to his marriage ^Ir. Pope had ]iur- 
chased one hundred acres of land where he 
now resides and the young couple began their 
flomestic life upon the farm which was then an 
uncultivated and unimpro\ed tract of land in 
the midst of the forest. With characteristic en- 
ergy, however, he began to clear away the 
trees and improve the farm. He built a good 
residence there and has carried forward the 
work of cultivation and development until he 
now has a splendid farm property. In addition 
to his home he has two good barns and sul>- 
stantial outbuildings upon the place and has 
planted two orchards, now having a thrifty 
ycnnig orchard covering six acres which is 
coming into bearing and contains a great vari- 
ety of fruits. In connection with his farming 
he raises good thoroughbred stock, making a 
specialty of Shorthorn cattle. Merino sheep 



332 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



and Poland-China hogs. He has been a suc- 
cessful farmer and stock-raiser, his land being 
richly cultivated while in his pastures are 
found good grades of stock well cared for. He 
has largely used the Page wire fencing upon 
his place. 

In matters of citizenship he is progressive 
and has co-operated in many movements for 
the general good. Formerly he was a republi- 
can in his political affiliation but is now identi- 
fied with the democracy. He was elected and 
served as supervisor for two consecutive terms 
and during that ])eriod was a member of a 
number of imjiortant committees. He has like- 
wise been township treasurer for two terms, 
also township drain commissioner and has 
frequently been a delegate to the county and 
state conventions of his party. As a member 
of the school Ixiard he has performed helpful 
service in l)ehalf of public education. He and 
his wife are members of the Grange and Mr. 
Pope is now its master. For almost a half 
century he has lixed in Clinton county and 
great ha\e l)een the changes which have oc- 
curred in that time. His efforts have been ben- 
eficial to the county as well as a source of liv- 
ing to himself. He has cleared, improved and 
developed a fine farm and has gained a reputa- 
tion as a careful business man. honorable in his 
dealings and straightforward in all of his 
conduct. 



THOMAS H. GREEN. 

Thomas H. Green, who without special ad- 
vantages or opportunities in his youth, has be- 
come a prosperous farmer and representative 
citizen of Clinton county, his home being on 
section 7. Victor township, was born in Bed- 
fordshire. England. April 12, 1830, his parents 
being William and Rachel (Clark) Green, both 
of whom were natives of England. In 1840 
they became residents of Schenectady, New 
York, and afterward reinoved to Detroit, 
Michigan, and later to Troy township, Oak- 
land county, this state. After three years there 
passed they came to Clinton county, settling on 



section 6, Bingham township, where the father 
secured one hundred and seventy-seven acres 
of land. When three years had gone by he 
removed to Bengal township and bought a farm 
of two hundred acres on section i. which con- 
tinued to lie the place of his residence until his 
death, which occurred in 186 1, when he was 
fifty-seven years of age. His wife also died nt 
the age of fifty-seven, in the year 1864. At 
the time of his death he owned two hundred 
and sex'enty acres of rich and valuable land, of 
which eighty acres was splendidly improved. 
In the family were seven children as follows: 
Ann. now the wife of William lluggett, of St. 
Clair count}-. Michigan; Jane, the wife of 
Heinv Moberly, of Guthrie county, Iowa; 
Elizabeth, the widow of Benjamin Shepard, of 
Shepanlsville. this county: Sarah, the wife of 
George Johnson, of St. Johns. Michigan; 
ihiinias H., of this review: Charles C.. who is 
living in Greenbush township: and Benjamin F., 
of Detroit. Michigan. All were born in Eng- 
land. 

Thomas H. (ireen is a self-educ;ited as well 
as a self-made man. having had no o])portunity 
for the ac(|uirement of an education such as is 
accorded boys of the present day. for he was 
able to atteiKl school onlv a few weeks. He left 
home when a \outh of eleven years and began 
earning liis own living bv farm work. For 
ten years he was in the employ of B. I*". Knee- 
land, in Bengal townshi]). and continued to 
work \)y the month until twenty-seven years of 
age. In August. 1862, however, he responded 
to the countrv's call for troops, enlisting as a 
member of Company G. Twenty-third Michigan 
Infantry, with which he served for nine months. 
He was detached to look after prisoners and be- 
coming ill he was relieved from further duty 
and honorably discharged, h'ollowing his re- 
turn home he built a saw mill in Bengal town- 
ship in company with William Partridge and 
operated this plant for a year, when he sold 
out to Livingstone Davis. He then gave his 
attention to agricultural pursuits in Bengal 
townshi]), having an eighty-acre farm which he 
had jireviouslv purchased on section i_v "^t a 
former day he had also owned eighty acres on 



■ 


P^9 


^H 




■H 


^^B^^lJfuilJlwillnuliinJlr 


Ml '^^^il 



THOMAS H. GREEN. 




-MRS. THOMAS H. GREEN. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



2,2>7 



sectiun lo tor two years. He hduglil one luin- 
(Ired and twenty acres in Shiawassee county and 
tliirty-tive years agt) lie lx)uglit liis ])resent farm. 
then cnmprising eiglity-tive acres of land on 
section 7. N'ictor township, one liundred and 
twent\' acres on section 1 J, Olive township, and 
eighty acres on section 1. Olive township. He 
now has in X'ictor township three hundred and 
four acres in one hody. all nf which he has 
cleared and transformed into culti\al)lc pro]ierty. 
His hindc<l possessions aggregate six hundred 
acres and he is therefore classed with the lead- 
ing landowners and suhstantial citizens of his 
community. He has erected modern huildings 
and has a splendidly improved property, his 
farms now lieing operated hv his sons. In all 
of liis Imsiness affairs he displays e.xccllent judg- 
ment and unremitting energy and his lators 
have heen attended hv a gratifving measure of 
success. 

On the 20th of Novemher. i860. .Mr. Green 
was united in marriage to Miss Alartha L. Wel- 
lington, a daug'hter of Elhridge and Lorinda 
(Dumlxilton) Wellington, of Troy, New York, 
who came to Michigan w hen their daughter was 
twelve years of age, settling on section 12, Ben- 
gal township, Clinton county. The father died 
at the age of seventy-one years and his wife 
passed away at the age of eighty years. Mrs. 
Green was one of a family of seven children, 
namely: Isaac, who is living in Boston, .Mas- 
sachusetts; Elhridge (i., deceased: Alpheus D., 
who is living in the village of Ovid: Daniel T., 
of St. Paul. Minnesota; Mrs. (ireen ; .\delia L.. 
the wife of Ezra I^attimer. of Victor township; 
and I'rankdin. whose hoiuc is in .'Sacramento. 
California. 

Lewis ]•". Green, son of Mr. and .Mrs. Thomas 
H. Green, married Hettie Head, of Ovid. They 
have one child, hrances M. William Green, of 
Olive township, wedded May Holilen, of Victor 
township. I-'reflerick C. living in Victor town- 
ship, married Xora Rheuhottom. of Olive town- 
ship. Their children are Hazel M., l>ewis W., 
Charles T.. Xohel O., Velma and Thomas H. 

Mr. Green has heen actively connccte<l with 
farming pursuits throughout nearly his entire 
life and is a worthy representative not only of 



the agricultural hut also of the pioneer class 
of citizens of Clinton county, where he is recog- 
nized as a reliahle man. straightforward as well 
as ]>rosperous in his husiness afifairs. He has 
lived upon his farm with the exception of the 
l)eriod from 1893 until 1903. when he made his 
home in .St. Johns, heing at that time connected 
with the mail service. In 1903. however, he 
returned to his farm in Victor township, where 
he yet makes his home. He helongs to St. Johns 
lodge, \o. 5, .\. I'". & .\. M.. and is a Knight 
Templar. His jjolitical allegiance is given to 
the reijuhlican party hut he has always heen 
without political aspiration, preferring to con- 
centrate iiis energies upon his husiness affairs, 
which, capahly conducted, have hrought him a 
gratifying measure of prosjjerity. He has now- 
passed the sixty-ninth milestone on life's jour- 
ney and an active and honorahle career made 
him one of the most highly esteemed citizens of 
Clinton county. 



M.\TTH1A\ .M 



I ILL. 



Matthew M. Hill, whose home is on section 
29, Olive township, is well known in this 
county and among his many friends is famil- 
iarly called "Mark." He is one of the prosper- 
ous farmers of the township and owns a well 
improved and valuahle tract of land of ciglity 
acres. Bv hirth. training and jireference he is 
a son of Michigan and has had no desire to 
make a home elsewhere. His hirth occurred 
in Washtenaw county, this state. September 
13. 1848. His father. Mark Hill, was a native 
of England, born and reared in Lincolnshire, 
and was married in that country to Miss Maria 
Eagle, an English lady. He emigrated to the 
new world about 1840, settling in Washtenaw 
county, where he entered land from the gov- 
ernment, becoming owner of a farm in the 
town of Linden. This he at once began to clear 
and cultivate and he surrounded his tract by a 
fence and o]>ene<l up the farm, spending his 
remaining days there. He died, however, when 
comparatively a young man. passing away in 



338 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



1864. His wife survived him tor a number of 
years and he h\ed to the ripe old age of 
seventy-four. 

M. M. Hill, whose name introduces this rec- 
ord, spent his boyhood days in the county of 
his nativity and was early trained to the work 
of the farm, becoming- familiar with all of its 
labors and duties. He was united in marriage 
in Jackson count}-, Michigan, on the 20th of 
Februarv. 1872. to Miss Martha L. Locher, 
who was a nati\-e of that state and was torn in 
Jackson county. Her father, Joseph Locher. 
was a native of Switzerland and after attend- 
ing a military school in France he entered the 
armv, serving under one of the Bonapartes in 
181 7, when nineteen years of age. He becan-ie 
an earl\- resident of Michigan, settling in Jack- 
son C(iunt\- in 1848. and married Martha 
Holdrum, of New Jersey, where he resided for 
a few }-ears prior to coming to the west. Mrs 
Hill is one nf a fan-iily of se\-en children, three 
sons and four daughters, all of whom are mar- 
ried and have families of their own. save two 
of the daughters. 

Following his marriage Mr. Hill made his 
home in Jackson. Washtenaw and Tngham 
counties for some tinic. arriving in Clinton 
countv aliout t88o. when he located in Olive 
township on a farm of eighty-eight acres. He 
at once began its further cultivation and im- 
proveiTient and resided thereon for several 
years. In 1895 he removed to the place where 
he now makes his home and has operated this 
farm for ten years. It is neat in appearance 
and everything about the place indicates his 
careful supervision and progressive spirit. He 
started out in life for himself a poor man Init 
by his labor and enterprise, his industry and 
l)erseverance, he has iDCConie a successful agri- 
culturist and is now one of the substantial resi- 
dents of Olive township. 

Politically ^Ir. Hill is identified with the 
democratic partv and his fellow townsmen, 
recognizing his worth and ability, have elected 
him to the position of township treasurer, in 
which he served for two years. Later he was 
chosen supervisor and for four years he served 
as a memljer of the countv board, acting on a 



number of important committees during that 
period. He is a champion of the public-school 
system, a friend of progress in educational 
matters and has done effective service for the 
schools during twenty years' connection with 
the school board, being its chairrnan at the 
present time. He is a man of genuine worth, 
honored and esteemed by all for his reliability 
in business, his loyalty iii citizenshi]) and his 
fidelitv to the ties of social and home life. 



EDWARD S. CLARK. 

Edward S. Clark, whose valuable farm of 
two hundred acres of rich and productive land 
is devoted to general farming and stock-raising 
and whose residence stands on section 11, Bath 
township, is by birth, training and residence a 
western nian. the place of his iiativity being 
Lewanee county. Michigan, and the date of 
his birth March 28. 1841. His father. Karriel 
Clark, was born in Niagara county. Xew York, 
and was a son of Samuel Clark, a native of 
Vermont, the ancestors of the famil\- having 
become residents rif the Green Mountain state 
in earlv colonial days. Samuel Clark removed 
thence to Xew York and his son Karriel was 
reared ami educated there. He was also n-iar- 
ried in that state to Rebecca Wilsey. whose 
birth occurred in Wayne county. New York. 
and two children were liorn unto theni ere they 
rem(wed to the west about 1834. Hoping to 
benefit his financial condition and n-iore quickly 
acquire' a comjjetence in the new but growing- 
middle section of the country Mr. Clark went 
with his family to Lewanee county about 1834. 
His labors resulted in the opening up of a good 
farm near Tecumseh and subsequently he re- 
mo\ed to Ingham county, while still later he 
went to Clinton county, where his death oc- 
curred about 1890. His wife had died in 
WoodhuU a few years before. 

Edward S. Clark was reared to nianhood in 
Ingham county, remaining under the parental 
roof and assisting in the operation of the home 
farm until he had attained his majority. Dur- 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY, 



339 



ing the period of the civil war he eiiHsted in 
1864 as a member of Company K, Twentieth 
Michigan Infantry, and went to the south with 
the Army of the Potomac, joining General 
("irant's command. He then participated in a 
number nf important engagements, being first 
under tire at Poplar Grove and later in the 
vicinity of Petersburg. He never lost a ilay 
from duty because of illness or wounds and he 
served until the close of the war. when he was 
honorably discharged at Jackson, Mississippi, 
in June. 1863. 

Returning to his home, as the country no 
longer needed his aid, he engaged in farming in 
Ingham countv, where he owned a tract of land 
until 1870. He then sold his property there 
and bought where he now resides, having one 
hundred and sixty acres which he began to 
further improve and develop. The house and 
barn were both built by him. and fniit and 
shade trees of his own planting add to the value 
and attracti\e ajipearance i>f the place. He 
has also fenced and ditched the farm, thus add- 
ing to its ])roductiveness. and he bought forty 
acres more land so that his property constitutes 
an excellent tract of two hundred acres. 

In 1866 Mr. Clark was happily married to 
Miss Mary Emma Noyes. a native of New 
York but reared and etlucated in Ingham 
county, while prior to her marriage she suc- 
cessfully engaged in teaching. Her death oc- 
curred in this county in the fall of 1888, three 
children surviving her: Edward: Ida, who is 
the wife of Frank Alberson, of Ingham 
county: and Aaron, who follows farming in 
Bath township. On the 29th of March, 1894. 
Mr. Clark was married to Miss Mary E. Place, 
a native of this count)', and they have become 
the parents of three sons, Lawrence. Lawton 
and Frank. 

In casting his ballot Mr. Clark has sup- 
l^orted democratic principles but has never been 
an aspirant for office. He has always been an 
industrious, energetic man of frugal habits and 
thoroughly reliable in business transactions. 
He fought for the old flag in the Union when 
its dissolution was threatened and is one of the 
few surs'ivors of the great army of men who 



wore the blue uniform of the nation upon the 
battle-fields of the south. He made a credit- 
able military record but there has been no more 
worthy commendation than is his record in 
other relations of life for he has always been 
loyal to honorable principles in business and 
social relations. 



ROBERT S. ARMOUR. 

On the roster of county officials in Clinton 
county appears the name of Robert S. Armour, 
now filling the office of register of deeds. This 
count}- has been signally favored in the class of 
men who have ])erformed her public service 
and who with singleness of purpose and devo- 
tion to duty have promoted her interests 
through the capable administration of the af- 
fairs of their individual offices. Mr. Armour 
has made a creditable record in the position 
which he is now filling. Moreover, he is one of 
Clinton county's native sons, his l)irtb having 
occurred in Du])lain township. Januan,- 22. 
1865. His j)arents were W^illiam and Esther 
(Wilson) Armour, the former a native of Scot- 
land and the latter of Canada. The father was 
the eldest in a family of seven children and 
after crossing the briny deep to the new world 
he became a resident of Canada, where he met 
and married Miss Wilson. The year 1861 wit- 
nessed their removal to Clinton county and 
they settled upon a farm in Duplain township, 
where Mr. .Armour carried on general agricul- 
tural pursuits up to the time of his death. \\'hen 
he had become a naturalized American citizen 
he supported the republican party and its prin- 
ciples and for fourteen years he was supervisor 
of his township. He died in March. 1893. at 
the age of sixty-four years, and is still sur\-ived 
by his widow. They were the parents of three 
children : .\nnie. the wife of James Harrison. 
of Hamilton. Ontario : Robert S. : and Maggie 
P.. the wife of O. M. Pearl, of Duplain town- 
ship. 

.\fter attending the common schools Robert 
S. Armour became a student in the high school 



340 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



at Ovid and later entered the Northern Indiana 
Normal School at \'alparaiso. Indiana, from 
which he was graduated in 1889. Removing 
to Sioux Falls. South Dakota, he there engaged 
in legal business and later became engaged 
with newspa]>er work in Spokane. Washington, 
spending four years in the two places. Com- 
ing to Clinton county. Michigan, he followed 
farming for a year in Duplain township, after 
which he entered the employ of the McCormick 
Harvester Company and later, in 1903. the In- 
ternational Har\ester Company, after the 
companies consolidated, as salesman for cen- 
tral IMichigan, continuing in that service until 
the fall of 1904. when he resigned to become 
register of deeds of Clinton county, to W'hich 
office he was elected on the repul)lican ticket by 
a majority of thirteen hundred and ninety-five. 
He is a progressive young man. in touch with 
the spirit of the times, interested in local ad- 
\-ancement and national welfare, and his ef- 
forts have been uf practical benefit to his native 
county. He belongs to the Masonic fraternitw 
the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks 
and the Knights of Pythias lodge in St. Johns. 
In September. 1S99. he was married to Sarah 
J. Scott, a daughter of Dr. William Scott, of 
Ithaca. 



LESTER H. PEASE. 



Lester H. Pease, a thrifty and well-to-do 
farmer, owning and cultivating uiie hundred 
and si.xty acres nf land im section 17. Essex 
town.ship, is numbered amung the early settlers 
of Michig"an. fur his residence in the state 
dates from 1845 'i"'' since 1875 he has lived 
in Clinton county. He was born in Ontario 
county. New York, February i, 1836. His 
father, Pliny Pease, was a native of Connecti- 
cut, born in 1788. There he was reared and 
married. Miss Hannah Fox, a native of Con- 
necticut, becoming his wife. Mr. Pease was a 
shoemaker by trade and followed that pursuit in 
early life but sub.sequent to his removal to the 
lunpire state he settled ujK)n a farm and en- 



gaged in general agricultural pursuits. In 
1845 he came to Michigan, locating in Washte- 
naw county, and in 1847 he removed to Kent 
county, where he entered eighty acres of land 
from the government and opened up a farm. 
It was covered with timber when it came into 
his possession liut he cleared away the trees, 
plowed the land and cultivated the fields, con- 
tinuing the work of improvement and progress 
there up to the time of his death, which oc- 
curred in 1862. His wife sunived him for 
iinl\- two \-ears. passing away in 1864. 

Lester H. Pease is one of a family of five 
children, but only two survive, his sister being 
Delana. now the wife of John Brookman. of 
(hand Rapids. Michigan. Lester H. Pease was 
reared in Kent county and is indebted to the 
common schools for the educational privileges 
he enjoyed. He remained with his father until 
lie had attained his majority and at the time of 
the Civil war he put aside business and personal 
considerations, enlisting in 1862 as a member 
of the Si.xth Michigan Cavaliy. He was as- 
signed to Company M and with his regiment 
went east, joining tiie .\rni\' of the Potomac as 
a meml)er of (ieneral Custer's brigade. Thus 
he ser\'efl until the close of the war. He partici- 
pated in the battle of the Wilderness, after 
which his coiupan\- was on detached duty in the 
\-icinity of Washington and in Maiyland, also 
at Harper's Ferr\'. On the 5th of May, 1863. 
however, he rejoined his regiment and took 
part in the battle of the Wilderness on the 6th 
of May, 1864. He was also in the engagement 
at Spottsyhania. on Sheridan's raid to Rich- 
mond and the two days' battle at Beaver Dam. 
Pie likewise participated in the sharp fight at 
Chickahominv Swamp and in the battles of Cold 
Harbor. Winchester. Cedar Creek. Front Royal, 
Say lor Creek, Harper's farm and F'ive Forks. 
On the 9di of April. 1865. he witnessed the 
surrender of General Lee. During the last 
year of his service he was corporal and had 
charge of General Custer's train. He served 
until after the close of the war and was then 
honorably discharged December 6. 1865. He 
had made a most creditable military record by 
his valor on the field of battle, his proiuptness 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



341 



in responding^ to a command and his loyalty to 
duty on even,^ occasion. 

Following his return home Mr. F'ease bought 
a farm of one hundred an<l twenty acres in Kent 
county Michigan, where he carried mi genera! 
agricultural pursuits for seven years. Subse- 
quently he bought another fanu of one hun- 
dred and sixty acres and still later he sold that 
[jroperty. He has owned and cultivated a num- 
ber of different jilaces and on coming to his 
present home he first purchased eighty acres of 
land, to which he has since added an adjoining 
tract of eighty acres, .so that his farm now 
covers a quarter section. This is well improved 
and valuable land, pleasantly and conveniently 
situated within two miles of Maple Rapids. He 
has fenced the place, cleared the fields of stumps, 
made repairs and kept everything in neat and 
thrifty condition. 

Mr. Pease was marrieil in Kent county in 
1861 to Miss Manila Fox. a native of On- 
tario county, New York, and a daughter of 
John W. Fo.x and a sister of (ieorge Fo.x. who 
is mentioned elsewhere in this work. They now 
have four children living: Nelson; .Allie; 
Teannette. who for eleven years was a successful 
teacher in the schools of this county ; and 
Roland who, with his brother Nelson, operates 
the home fami. Nelson is married, has one 
child, Marjorie. and is living in a dwelling 
upon the home farm. 

Politically Mr. Pease has always been an 
earnest republican, although he was reared a 
democrat. He was deeply interested in the 
questions which gave rise to the new repub- 
lican part\' and in i860 cast his first presi- 
dential vote in supjxjrt of .\braham Lincoln. 
He has served as a member of the board of re- 
view and was elected county coroner but did 
not qualify for the latter office, as he has no 
desire to fill jxDsitions of political preferment. 
He served under appointment of (jovenior Luce 
as supervisor of the state house of correction 
and for four years under Warden E. C. Wat- 
kins as supervisor of the house of correction at 
Ionia. He has served as a delegate to numerous 
conventions of his party and was a delegate at 
the time that Rich and Pingree were nomi- 



nated for governor. He belongs to the Masonic 
fraternity at Maple Rapiils, to the Grand .\rmy 
Post, to the Grange and the .\ncient Order of 
I'nilcd Workmen. 

In iS(/; Mr. Pease was called u\K)U to mourn 
the loss of his wife, who passed away on the 
-Mst of July of that \ear and was laid to rest 
in I Mains cemetery. He has also lost three 
ciiildren : George, at the age of ten years; Louisa 
and Philo. Ixith of wiiom died in infancy. All 
were buried in the cemetery where the mother's 
remains now rest. 

Mr. Pease has led an active, useful and 
honorable life and has ever lieen found loyal to 
the trust re])osed in him whether in public office, 
on the field of battle, in liusiness relations or in 
l)ri\ate life. 



ARCHIF SMITH. 



Xeat and attractive in appearance is the 
eighty-acre farm of .\rchie Smith on section 
24. Lebanon township, in addition to this prop- 
erty he also has eighty acres in Essex town- 
ship, nearly all of which is under cultivation, 
and eighty acres on section 13. I^banon town- 
shi]). his landed possessions therefore aggregat- 
ing two hundred and forty acres. He is a 
young man of good business ability, whose life 
record has been creditable to the county of his 
nativit}-. He was born in Es.sex township. 
Sei)tember 3. 1872. his ])arents being Joseph 
II. and Elizabeth (Nye) Smith. Thefather 
was Ijorn in New Jersey and remained there 
until twenty years of age. when he came to 
Michigan, settling first in Berrien county. This 
was about 1864. He was married there to Miss 
Xye, a native of Michigan, and at a later day 
came to Clinton county, settling in Essex town- 
ship, where he opened up a farm upon which 
he now resides. In the family were five chil- 
dren, three sons and two daughters. 

.\rchie Smith s|)ent his youth in Essex town- 
shi]) and accpiired a district-school education. 
When sixteen years of age he started out in life 
cm his own accoiuit and worked bv the month 
as a farm hand for three summers, while in the 



342 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



winter seasons he was employed in tlie pine 
woods. He then secured a clerkshi]i in a store 
in Wisconsin, where lie spent eighteen months. 
after which he returned to Clinton Cdunty. 
Here he was married in Lebanon township on 
the 4th day of May. 1893. the lady of his choice 
being Miss Hattie Dixon, who was born on the 
farm where they now reside, her father being 
William Dixon, who removed from Brockville. 
Ontario. Canada, to Michigan. He was one 
of the early settlers of Clinton county and 
opened up a farm, which he cleared and culti- 
vated. He made this farm a productive tract 
of land and it yielded to him good crops that 
supplied him with the comforts and many of 
the luxuries of life in his declining years. He 
resided thereon up to the time of his death, 
which occurred March 28. 1895. while his wife 
passed away in April. 1903. Li their family 
were two children, the son being Chauncey 
Dixon, now a resident farmer of Essex town- 
ship. 

Having a renewed impetus for further effort 
after his marriage Air. Smith took up his abode 
on a farm in Essex township and with unre- 
mitting diligence continued its cultivation and 
improvement for seven years. He built a good 
house there and bought more land. Later he 
sold eighty acres and subsequently invested in 
other property and purchased the interest of 
the Dixf)n heirs in the old Dixon homestead. 
He now owns this farm, which he had operated 
for his father-in-law in his last years. Mr. 
Smith raises high grade stock, including sheep, 
hogs, cattle and horses, which he also buys and 
sells to good advantage, making a specialty of 
hogs. He is an excellent judge of stock and 
the animals sent from his place command a 
high market price. 

In his political views ]Mr. Smith is a repub- 
lican but without desire for office. He belongs 
to the Masonic fraternity at IMaple Rapids and 
he and his wife are members of the Eastern 
Star, while he is also connected with the Mac- 
cabees, He is practical in all life's relations, 
his efforts being followed by results that are 
commendable and desirable. He is recognized 
as a man of genuine worth and of unfaltering 



integrity and in his well conducted business af- 
fairs shows the controlled ambition and stead- 
fast purpose which are salient elements of 
prosperity. 



TAMES R. CARTER. 



Xii histoiy of Clifton count)' would be com- 
plete without mention of James R. Carter, who 
for lifty-seven long years has resided within 
its borders, witnessing the transformation that 
has occurred as the county has emerged from a 
forest district into a region of rich fertility, and 
not only has the work of agriculture been car- 
ried steadily forward, for in the towns and 
cities progress has been made along industrial 
and commercial lines and Clinton county has 
become posses.sed of all the advantages, im- 
provements and con\eniences known to the 
older east. 

Mr. Carter is numbered among the pros- 
perous farmers of Greenbush township, being 
the owner of one hundred and twenty-two acres 
of good land on section 10. He arrived in Clin- 
ton county on the 15th of October, 1848, being 
at that time a young man of twenty years. His 
birth had occurred in Loudoun county, Vir- 
ginia, February 12, 1828. His father, Charles 
Carter, was also a native of that locality, bom 
February 6, 1 800, while the paternal grand- 
father was a native of Germany but became one 
of the early residents of Virginia, settling there 
when it was still one of the colonies of Great 
Britain. However, when an attempt was made 
to throw off the yoke of British oppression he 
became a soldier in the Revolutionary war and 
aided in establishing the new republic. Charles 
Carter was reared to manhood in Virginia and 
was married there to Miss Melinda Craven, 
also a native of that state. He was a carpenter 
and joiner by trade and assisted in the erection 
of a residence for President James Monroe. In 
1835 he removed to Ohio, taking up his abode 
on a farm in Mulberry township. Knox county. 
In 1849 he removed to Michigan, where he 
joined his son, J. R. Carter, and spent his last 




JAMES R. CARTER. 



22 



4 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



345 



years, passing away here on the 4th of Xovem- 
lier. 1864. His first wife died in Ohio about 
1837 and he afterward married again. By the 
first marriage tliere were three children : Sarah 
E., who became tlie wife of Parson Jeffers, of 
Eureka, and (bed here, hers being the first in- 
terment in luireka cemetery; James R., of this 
review; and Mrs. Maliala A. ilulse. of Green- 
bush townsliip. 

James R. Carter was reared to manhood in 
Knox county. Ohio, and is indebted to the 
pubbc-.school system t)f that locality for the 
educational privileges he enjoyed. His youth 
was passed under the ])arental roof and he be- 
came familiar with the work that falls to the 
lilt cif the agriculturist as he assisted in the 
fields from the lime of early spring planting 
until the cro])s were har\ested in the late 
autumn. With his brother-in-law he came to 
Clinton CDuntx' in 1S48 and froni the govern- 
ment entered one hundred and sixty acres of 
land, where he vet resides. The following 
s]iring he began to clear this ])roperty and he 
worked in a sawmill one winter, while the sum- 
mer niiintlis were gixen to his farm work. 
.\fter clearing a little tract of land he built 
a log c:d)in and further continued the work of 
improving and cultivating his place. 

.\s a companion and bel])mate for life's 
joiu'iiey he chose Miss Susan Mcf^her.son and 
tliev were married in Essex towushi]). Februarx- 
11. 1841;. a day ])rior to the twenty-first an- 
niversary of his birth. Mrs. Carter was l)orn 
and reared in Loudoun county. \ irgiuia. and 
was a daughter of Stephen Mcl'herson. who re- 
moved from the Old Dominion to Ohio and 
afterward came to Michigan, settling in Clin- 
ton county ill 1848. The young couple began 
their domestic life in a little log cabin in the 
midst of the woods. They were pioneer settlers 
but the country was rapidly becoming settled, 
for in the winter of 1848-9 forty- four hundred 
acres of land were entered in this locahty. Mr. 
Carter lost his first house through fire. .Ml 
were away from home at the time and the loss 
was quite a serious one in consequence, as noth- 
ing was .saved. He later built a good neat resi- 
dence, to which he has since added and now 



has a comfortable home. L;iter he built a good 
house for his son and has also built substantial 
barns and outbuildings. He has an orchard of 
his own i)lanting and has also set out walnut 
and shade trees which have added much to the 
value and attractive appearance of the place. 

L'nto .Mr. and Mrs. Carter were tern five 
chililrcn wlm arc yet li\ing: Melinda Elizabeth, 
the wife <if l);i\i(l I,. Alldoffer, of Homer, 
Michigan; Juliet B.. the wife of Albert Gilson, 
of Bannister, Michigan; Charles, who is mar- 
ried and resides in Detroit : .Mice, at home ; and 
\\ . ( i. Carter, who is married and resides upon 
the old homestead. One 1 laughter of the fam- 
ily, h'lvira. died in earl\- wi inianhood and the 
nmtliL'r passed away on the 3th nf March, 1888. 
-Mr. Carter was married again in (ji'eenbu.sb 
tdwn.ship. I'ebruary 4. 1891. the lady of his 
choice being Miss Mary F. .\uten. a native 
of Pennsyhania and a daughter of Flenrv 
.\uten, of Cambria county, Pennsylvania. He 
removed from the Keystone state to Knox 
county. Ohio, and in 1850 came to Clinton 
county. Michigan, where he s]x;nt his last davs. 
Mrs. Carter is a sister <if Frank .\ulen. fnr- 
merl\- a lawyer of St. Johns. 

Both Mr. and Mrs. Carter hold membership 
in the Methodist Episcopal church and he as- 
sisted in organizing the first Christian associa- 
tion in this |)art of the county — a Methodist 
class, which was formed in 1849. He is the 
last survisor of the nriginal eleven members of 
that class. He has been one of the officers of 
his church for many years and has taken an 
active and helpful part in its work. He was 
identified with the Masonic lodge, was the first 
master of Greenbush lodge. .^. F. & .\. .M.. 
served in that ca])acity for seven vears, is now 
a ])ast master and has several times represented 
the local lodge in the grand lodge. Politically 
be was originally an old line whig and is now 
a republican. He was elected and served for 
four years as township treasurer, was highway 
commissioner two years and has been a member 
of the school ixjard. Xo movement for the 
general good fails to receive his hearty endorse- 
ment and awaken his deep interest. He takes 
great pride in what has been accomplished in 



346 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



the county and has done his full share toward its 
de\elopment and progress. He lived here in 
early pioneer days and has shot and killed both 
deer and bears here. For fifty-seven years he 
has lived in Clinton county, has seen the forests 
felled and the farms improved, while tlie adapt- 
ability of the county to general grain-raising 
and horticultural jiursuits has long since been 
successfully demonstrated. Where once stood 
the native trees are now seen good orchards and 
fine groves of ornamental trees or well kept 
lawns. There have been good roads made, 
cities and towns have been built up and have 
been connected by railroad and trolley lines. 
The county therefore to-day bears little re- 
semblance to the district into which Mr. Carter 
came in his early manhoo(J, but he rejoices in 
what has been accomplished and in his home 
locality has done much for material, intellectual 
and moral progress. 



JOHN \V. KEENEY. 

John W. Keeney, sheriff of Clinton county, 
was Ixirn in Lewanee county. Michigan, in the 
city of Cambridge, February i6, 1852. He is 
a son of Jonathan B. and Amanda (Mallery) 
Keeney. the former a native of Massachu- 
setts and the latter of New York. The Kee- 
nevs are of Irish lineage, while the Mallerys are 
of English descent. The paternal grandfather. 
Zalman Keeney, was a physician of Massachu- 
setts. Jonathan B. Keeney, who was born in 
18 1 5 and became a resident of Michigan in 
1837, casting in his lot with the pioneer settlers 
of Lewanee county. He died in 1897, at the 
age of eighty-two years, while his wife passed 
away in 1882, when sixty-five years of age. In 
their familv were thirteen children, nine of 
whom are living: James, a resident of Maple 
Rapids. Michigan : Ellen, the wife of James 
Furgson, of Dewitt. Michigan: Joseph, who is 
living in Oregon : Nicholas, a resident of 
Miami, Florida; Alamson M., of Ann Arbor; 
Edward, of Hanover. Michigan ; Carrie, the 
wife of Fred Groger, of Concord. Michigan, 
and Nancv. the wife of John Holmes, of Ovid. 



John \\". Keeney. the seventh in order of 
l)irth in this family, was educated in the com- 
mon schools and in Adrian College of Michi- 
gan, where he remained as a student for three 
vears. He afterward engaged in teaching for 
twenty-three years and this entire period with 
the exception of the first term was spent in 
Clinton county. He taught for fifteen terms in 
the Riley district and during the last seven 
years of his connection with educational circles 
he was principal of tlie high school at Fowler. 
As an educator he became well known and has 
done much to advance the standard of intellect- 
ual development in this part of the state. He 
imparted with readiness and conciseness to 
others the knowledge that he had obtained 
through his own study and investigation and 
moreover ins])ired his pupils with his own zeal 
and interest in the work. He left the school 
room to Ijecome a factor in pul)lic life of the 
ciiunty, being appointed marshal of St. Johns 
in 1896. In that position he continued until 
1904. when he was elected on the reiniblican 
ticket to the ofiice of sheriff of Clinton county 
bv a majority of one thousand, succeeding 
William Schavey. He is the present incumbent 
and his official record is one which has gained 
him high encomiums. While following his pro- 
fession he made investment in eighty acres of 
land in Riley township, which he cleared (if tlie 
timber, and it developed into an excellent farm, 
which he later sold. 

On the 3th of March. 1878. Mr. Keeney was 
united in marriage to Miss Ida .\. Hayes, of 
Clinton county, who died in 1885, at the age of 
twenty-three years, leaving one son, Howard, 
now of St. Johns. In 1886 Mr. Keeney 
wedded Agnes Funston, who died in 1889, at 
the age of thirty-seven years. His present wife 
was Estella B. Bullard, of Fowler, whom he 
married in 1892. LT^nto Mr. and Mrs. Keeney 
have l)een born three children : Claude B.. 
Blanche and Hazel. 

Mr. Keeney is quite prominent in social re- 
lations, belonging to the Masonic fraternity, in 
which he has attained the Knight Templar de- 
gree, also the Independent Order of Odd Fel- 
lows, the Modern Woodmen of America, the 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



347 



Maccabees and the Ciold Kescrxe I'und. Of 
these organizations he is a worthy representa- 
tive. excmpHfyinf^ in his life the l)eneficent and 
helpfnl spirit upon wliich the different orders 
are based. Through an active and busy life 
Mr. Keeney has contriI:)uted to the welfare and 
progress of city and county and liis otTicial rec- 
ord is one whicli justly entitles him to mention 
amrmg the representative men of St. Johns. 



TOHX READ. 



jolm Head, owning a neat and well im- 
proved farm of one hundred and si.xly acres on 
section J', Bath township, has lived upon his 
farm since 1870 but is tmw building a resi- 
dence in the village of Bath, where he expects 
to make his home. For more than a half cen- 
tury he has made his home in Michigan and 
as a ijioneer resident of this ])ortii.n n\ the state 
is justly entitled to representation in this vol- 
ume. A native of England, his birth occurred 
in Northamptonshire. Afay 24. 1836. His 
father. William Read, was likewise a native 
of the same countrv. born in 1808. There 
he spent his Ix^yhood and youth and when he 
had attained manhood and desired a com- 
panion and helpmate for life's journey he 
wedded Mary Marlow. a native of England. 
He followed farming in that country until after 
the birth of nine of their children and then in 
1853 he emigrated to the new world, making 
his way at once to Michigan, where he joined 
his son in Washtenaw county. He farmed 
there for several years but eventually pur- 
chased a tract of land in Livingston county 
and improved the place, becoming the owner 
of an excellent farm property of two hundred 
acres, having the assistance of his sons in its 
cultivation and improvement. There he re- 
maincfi until his life's lalxtrs were ended in 
death, his wife sur\iving him for several years. 

John Read is the eldest of a family of nine 
sons and two daughters, one of whom was a 
soldier of the War of the Rebellion and died 
in the army, while defending the Union cause. 
One sister reached womanliood. was married 



and later ])assed away. John Read came to 
Michigan when a young man of sixteen years 
and attained his majority in Livingston county, 
remaining with his father and assisting him in 
the development of the home farm until he had 
attained his majorit}-. He had a fair education 
in England and was thus well equijjped to meet 
the responsible and practical duties of business 
life. He had no fniancial assistance at the out- 
set of his career but he worked by the month 
and placed his dependence upon the substantial 
qualities of industry and enterprise which have 
proved an excellent foundation upon which to 
rear the superstructure <~>f success. He was 
em])lnyed for a time as a farm hand in early 
manhood and as a companion and helpmate for 
life's jnnrne\- chose ]\Iiss Ruth .\. Schell. 
whom he wedded in Washtenaw county. She 
was a native of New York, but was reared in 
Michigan. The young couple began their do- 
mestic life upon a rented farm in Washtenaw 
count}-, where they lived for three years, at the 
end of which time Mr. Read came to Clinton 
count}' and with the money which he had saved 
from the profits of his labor he bought one 
hundred and sixt}- acres where he now resides. 
at once beginning the task of cultivating and 
de\'eloping this Lanrl. He has transformed it 
into highly productive fields for the soil is allu- 
vial and readih- responds to the work of the 
enterprising agriculturist. .\s time has passed 
he has bought more land and in addition to the 
homestead propertv he has another farm of 
eight}- acres and his wife also has one hundred 
and twenty acres. His landed possessions ag- 
gregate altogether three hundred and sixt}' 
acres and he has built on the home property a 
large and attractive residence of modern style 
of architecture. There are good buildings in 
which the stock is housed and the grain and 
machinery sheltered from the inclement 
weather, and fences and buildings are kept in 
good repair. In connection with the tilling of 
the soil Mr. Read feeds stock, making a spe- 
cialty of sheep and cattle, which lie ships to the 
Chicago market. He started out in life a jxior 
man but through his own persistency of pur- 
pose, capable managernent and close applica- 



348 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



tion he has accumulated a \-aluabIe property 
and is one of tlie well-to-do citizens of Bath 
township. 

Having lost his first wife Air. Read was 
again married, in 1891. in this county, his sec- 
ond union being with Mrs. Rosa Carl, a 
widow, who was born in Ohio but was reared 
in Michigan, her father. Cyrus Young, having 
been one of the early settlers of this county. By 
her former marriage Mrs. Read has one son. 
Roscoe Carl. He was graduated in 1905 at 
the Agricultural College and now has charge 
of the home farm. On the 4th of November, 
T904. he married Maude \\'hite, a native of 
Dewitt, Clinton county. Mr. Read lost a 
daughter of his first marriage. Flora, who died 
at the age of eleven years. Mrs. Read is a 
member of the Freewill Baptist church. 

Politically a repulilican. Mr. Read was 
elected and served for two terms as a member 
of the board of county supervisors and was on 
various important committees. He also served 
• m the hoard of review and his official rluties 
ha\e ever been faithfully and promptly dis- 
charged. He is a successful financier and busi- 
ness man wlinse life implies the term "dignit\' 
of labor" and his activity as a farmer antl 
stock dealer have made him well known in 
Lansing and St. Johns as well as thniugh the 
farnn'ng districts nf Tngh;nn and Clinton 
counties. 



I'RA.VCIS M. X'ki'lDFXBURG. 

I'rancis M. \'redenburg. whose strict l)nsi- 
ness integrity and conformitv to a high stand- 
ard of commercial ethics has gained for him 
uniform confidence and good will in St. Johns, 
where he is engaged in the implement Imsiness, 
is a native of Ottawa cnunty, .Michigan. He 
was Iinrn June 10, 185J, of the marriage of 
Albert II. and Helena (Careen) Vredenburg, 
both of wh(im were nali\cs of Wayne countv. 
New York, 'i'he father was one of a family of 
three brothers. The \'redenburgs were resi- 
dents of Oneida county. New York, for at least 
two generations prior to his time ;md the an- 



cestry can be traced back to Germany. Albert 
H. A'redenburg remained a resident of the Em- 
])ire state until after his marriage, when he re- 
moved westward to Michigan, settling in Hills- 
dale county. Later he resided in Ottawa county 
and subsequently took up his al>)de in Clinton 
county, settling in Bingham township, whence 
he afterward removed to Olive township. He 
devotes his life to agricultural pursuits, follow- 
ing the work of the farm until his lalxirs were 
ended in death in 1888, when he was fifty-nine 
years of age. His wife survi\ed him until 
1 89 1, passing away at the age of seventy-three 
years. In the family of this worthv couple 
were thirteen children, of whom six are yet liv- 
ing: Juliette, the wife of .Klvah .\rnold, of 
Ottawa county. Michigan; Arminda, the wife 
of Latham L. Carr, of Clinton county; Helen, 
the wife of .\rthur Cathermole, of Dewitt 
township; Calistia, the wife of Robert Barkley. 
of Hillsdale county, Michigan: May, the wi(k)w 
of George Robinson, of Ottaw'a county, this 
state: and Francis M. Two brothers died in 
the Ci\-il war. Peter departing this life while 
being held as a [jrisoner of war, while Deloss 
was killed in the liattle of South Mountain, 
X'irginia. The other members of the family 
died in infancv. 

i'rancis M. X'redenburg, pursuing his edu- 
cation in the district schools, was reared upon 
the home farm, where he remained until twenty- 
fwe years of age. He then liegan farming on 
his own account in ()li\e township, carrving 
on agricultural pursuits there from 1886 until 
f904. In 1888 he jiurchased his f.arm in Olive 
township, com])rising one hundred and twenty 
acres of rich and arable land, which he still 
owns and which is now under a high state of 
cultixation. .\t length, renting the land, he 
t(Jok up his abode in St. Johns in the spring of 
H>04 and Ins since Ijeen engaged in the imple- 
ment business, handling all kinds of farm im- 
plements and buggies. He is likewise agent 
for the McCormick harvesting machinery, 
reajiers and binding twine, and he handles the 
Thomas & J^andwich hay loader, the side de- 
livery rake and in fact all modern machinery 
in use uixm the model farms of the twentieth 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



349 



centurv. lie is now accorded a liberal patron- 
age which is indicative of straightforward busi- 
ness methods and his e.'irnest desire to please 
his patrons. 

On the 15th of October. 1876. Mr. \'reden- 
burg- married to Miss Nellie Rockwell, a daugh- 
ter of Charles M. and Hannah (Bellfield) 
Rockwell, of 01i\"e township. Clinton county. 
They ha\e two daughters: Maude, the wife of 
I'rcd \'an \'leet. of Olive townshi]^: and 
b'mily. the wife of Lee \"an X'leet, of the same 
township. Mr. Wedenburg is connected with 
the Modern Woodmen of America and the In- 
dependent Order of Odd Fellows. His political 
support is given the repulilican party and he 
served as township treasurer of Olive town- 
ship in 1893 and 1894. His life, however, has 
Ijeen largely devoted to his business afifairs, 
tirst as an agriculturist and now as a dealer 
in farm machiner\-. He is reliable and energetic, 
seeking out new ami ini]ini\e(! methods for 
the conduct of his Inisiness and winning the 
success which is the merited outcome of earn- 
est labor. 



JOHN BEECH. 

John l'>eech, whose home is on section 36. 
\'ictor township, is a ])rosperous farmer whose 
landed ]iossessions comprise one hundred and 
twenty acres, while the neat and thrifty appear- 
ance of the jilace indicates a life of activitv, 
energy and sound business ju<lgment. He has 
resided in Michigan since 1847 and in Clinton 
county since 1862. He was boni in Lincoln- 
shire. I'Jigland, May 6, 1825, and spent his 
childhocid and youth in that countiy, acquiring 
his education there. The opportunities of the 
new world, however, attracted him and in 1847, 
wiien a yonng man of twenty-two years, he 
crossed the .\tlantic on a saihng vessel, whicli 
weighed anchor at Liverpool and started on the 
westward voyage to New ^'ork city. He did 
not tarry in the east. howe\er. but came at once 
to Michigan accom|)anied b\- his three brothers, 
William, Charles and Joseph P)eecii. They lo- 
cated first on the connt\- line l)etween Washte- 



naw and Jackson counties and John Beech 
workeil as a farm hand by the day and month, 
being thus employed until 1854. 

(^n the 20th of X'ovember of that year, in 
Jackson cmmty, Mr. Beech was married to Miss 
Mary Brower, a natixe <if W^ashtcnaw countv. 
Michigan, and a <lauglitcr (jf Henn- Brower, 
a car])enter and joiner, who was born and 
reared in Seneca county. New York, whence 
be came to ibis state at an early age, casting 
in bis l(ii with the first settlers of Jackson 
county. He was married in W'ashtenaw county 
to Miss Margaret Grace Hooker, a native of 
.\'ew York. Following his marriage Mr. Beech 
ixniiixed to Indiana, where he took a contract 
for the ])ubiic works of dredging in the 
Kankakee river. He employed thirty-two 
bands ami worked on that contract for about 
ten months. He was first employed as boss of 
the job at a salary of one hundred dollars per 
month l.nt later worked under contract. When 
the work was comjileted he went to Ingham 
c<iunty, Michigan, and bought eighty acres of 
bea\y timber land which he cleared and im- 
pro\ed. transforming the tract into an excel- 
lent farm. There he resided for seven years, 
on the ex])iration of which ])erio(l be traded his 
projierty for the i)lace where he now resides. 
This was also a heavily timbered tract when 
he tiKik possession of the farm but it is now- 
one of the best imjiroved farms of the county, 
lie settled here in iH(y2 and began to cut away 
the timber, dig ont the stumps and place the 
land under the plow. He has cleared and 
fenced the property and has made it what it is 
to-day. which improvements include a pleasant 
residence, good barns and other modem and 
necessary etpiipments. He first li\ed in a log 
house with stick chimney, that lieing his resi- 
dence fi:r several years. 

L'nto Mr. and Mrs. Beech have l)een Ixirn 
the following children : Jenetta, the wife of 
Dan Perkins, of Clinton county: .\ddison. a 
farmer of Shiawassee county: Carrie, the wife 
of Xewell Parker; Charles, who is living in 
Laingsbm-g: Jessie, the wife of William Dowd- 
ing, a tarmer of X'ictor township, mentioned 
elsewhere in this volume : John, who is married 



350 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



and owns and operates a neat farm besides his 
fathers farm in Bath township; Ellen. William 
and Lizzie, all at home. Mr. and Mrs. Beech 
have lost three children. Lily, Lena and Meada, 
all of whom died in early childhood. 

Politically Mr. Beech and two sons are re- 
publicans. He first voted at a presidential elec- 
tion in i860, when he supported Abraham Lin- 
coin, and he has cast his ballot for each 
nominee at the head of the ticket since that time. 
He is without political aspiration for himself, 
however. His four sons, Addison. Charles. 
John E. and William Beech, are all Master 
Masons, belonging to the lodge at Laingsburg. 
Mr. Beech has li\ed a useful and exemplary life 
and has reared and educated a family of which 
he has every reason to be prolid. Most of his 
children are now married and are heads of 
families and are well known citizens of this 
locality. The parents celebrated their golden 
wedding November 20. 1904. when a large 
company of friends as well as their children 
came to the old home to rejoice with them in 
that fact that they had so long traveled life's 
journey together. They left behind them many 
souvenirs of this happv occasion which was one 
long to be remembered by those who partici- 
pated tlierein. Mr. Beech is truly a self-made 
man as he owes liis adxancement entirely to his 
own earnest and indefatigaWe lalxjrs. He came 
to America empt)--handed and gradually he has 
worked his way upward until a fanning prop- 
erty of one hundred and twenty acres yields 
him an excellent financial return annually. 



SYLVESTER MOON. 

Sylvester Moon, one of the thrifty farmers, 
stock-raisers and daiiymen of Clinton county, 
living on section 8. Dewitt township, is a na- 
tive son of this locality, born on the 17th of 
October, 1844. The family is of English line- 
age and Henry Moon, the father of our sub- 
ject, was born in England in 1806, remaining 
there until after he had attained his majority. 
When a voung man, however, he crossed the 



brin\- deep to the new world and became one 
of the early residents at Washtenaw county, 
Alichigan. whence he removed to Clinton 
county, casting in his lot with its pioneers. He 
settled in the midst of the green forest, en- 
tering a tract of land from the government and 
the original patent was signed by Martin Van 
Buren, then President of the United States. Mr. 
Moon at once began the arduous task of de- 
\eloping a new farm and continued the work of 
improvement until the spring of 1850. when he 
made an overland trip to California, being gone 
three years and meeting with fair success in the 
mining districts of the Pacific coast. He re- 
turned to the middle west by way of the isthmus 
route and purchased four hundred acres of land, 
thus becoming engaged in agricultural pursuits 
on an extensive scale. He placed many mod- 
ern and substantial improvements on his 
property and continued to devote his energies 
to agricultural pursuits until his death, which 
occurred about 1890 or 1891. In this state he 
had married Mrs. Susan M. Place, a widow, 
who was l)orn in Ohio and came to Michigan 
in pioneer times, her death occurring here in 
the spring of 1875. Mr. Moon afterward mar- 
ried again. The children of the first union 
were : Charles : Sylvester ; John, who died while 
serving in die L'nion army in the Civil war; 
Harriet, the wife of A. C. Wolcott, of Lansing, 
Michigan; Martha, who died in early woman- 
hood; and Emma, the wife of M. Scott, of 
Chelioygan county, Michigan. Mr. Moon of 
this review also had four half-sisters, of whom 
two are living ; Mrs. Caroline Geer, a widow 
residing in Michigan; and Mary Ann, the wife 
of O. J. Wolcott. of Lansing. 

Sylvester Moon was reared on his father's 
farm and at an early age took his place in die 
fields to aid in tliicir cultivation. He 
continued with his father until early 
maniiood, when he went to the east, 
spending five years in the oil regions of Penn- 
sylvania and New York, following any em- 
ployment that he could secure. On his return 
he engaged in the operation of the home farm 
on the shares and subsequently purchased the 
property, since which time he has been further 



, 




AIRS. SYLXESTER MOoX. 




s^■L\■!•:sTl•:R mciox. 



PAST AXD rUESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



355 



improving this place. He has erected barns 
and sheds, has fenced tlie fields, has set out 
fruit and indeed has developed a valuable pmp- 
erty, which lies just south of the village of 
Dewitt. Here he is carrying on farming, stock- 
raising and dairying, and his business interests 
are so capably directed that he has won a 
place among the substantial residents of the 
county. 

On the 31st of December. 1H74, .Mr. Moon 
was united in marriage to Miss Jennie llaqier, 
who was born in Ohio but was reared in Michi- 
gan. Her mother died when she was but two 
years of age and she then went to live with a 
relative, Mr. Allen. Politically Mr. Moon is 
an earnest democrat where national issues are 
involved but at local elections votes independ- 
ently of party ties. For one year he serxed as 
township treasurer and then resigned and with 
this exception he has never filled ot¥ice. He 
belongs to the Masonic lodge at Dewitt and has 
been an Odd Fellow for more than thirty years, 
passing through all of the chairs of the local 
lodge, which he has likewise represented in the 
grand lodge. He and his wife have taken the 
Rebakah degree and he is a past noble grand of 
that lodge. 



WILBER THOMPSON. 

On the roll of pioneer settlers in Clinton 
county appears the name of W'ilber Thompson 
for his residence within its borders dates from 
1854 anfl through the passing years he has won 
a place among the prosperous agriculturists of 
Bath township, his home being now on section 
II. Many states have furnished citizens to 
Michigan, and Mr. Thompson came from 
Pennsylvania, his birth iiaving occurred in 
Potter county, on the 7th of September, 1S30. 
He was reared there with only common-school 
advruitages and in his youth was trained to 
farm labor, working in the fields from the time 
of early spring planting until after crops were 
harvested in the late autumn. .Vmbitious to 
enjoy lietter business opportunities than he 



could gain in the east he came- to Michigan in 
1854 and at once made his way to Clinton 
county, where tracts of land were still in pos- 
session of the government and could be had by 
the settler who would locate thereon and im- 
pro\e tiic ])ro])eriy. This .Mr. Thompson de- 
sired to do and he entered one hundred and 
twenty acres in the midst of a timber region. 
.\n arduous task lay l)efore him in the work of 
clearing a\\a\ the trees and brush, grubbing 
up the stumps and ])re])aring the fields for cul- 
tivation. He had to drain the land by ditching 
but he resolutely set to work to make his prop- 
ert\' ])rofitable. Having built a log house, he 
lived in it for fourteen years and then erected 
a good frame residence. He also built a barn 
and other buildings necessary to shelter grain, 
stock and farm machinery, and he added many 
modern improxements, carrying on the work 
of the farm in substantial manner. He has also 
])lanted an orchard and made a \-aluable farm 
and in connection with the cultivation of the 
fields he has raised good stock — cattle, horses, 
sheep and hogs. He has been a hard worker 
but has made a successful farmer. 

In .\ugust, 1856, in Bath township, Mr. 
Thompson was united in marriage to Miss 
.Mary J. Smith, a native of New York and a 
daughter of Moses Smith, of the Empire state, 
who came here with his family in 1840. He 
purchased forty acres of land and in connection 
with general farnn'ng he carried on black- 
smithing, buikling a shop and doing the work 
of a blacksmith in connection with the tilling 
of the fields. Mrs. Thompson was reared and 
educated liere and eventually was married, 
when she went to her husband's home in a 
little log cabin. They became the parents of 
eleven children, who are yet living: Sarah, the 
wife of Jacob Canada, a farmer living in Vic- 
tor township: Adelia, the wife of E. C. Clise, 
who is mentioned on another page of this 
work : Ida, the wife of Clarence McFarren, also 
written in this volume: Charles, a real-estate 
man of Ovid: Elvira, the wife of A. T. Swar- 
thout, of Victor township; Anna, the wife of 
Hiram Colister, of Ontario, Canada: Newell, 
a resident farmer of Ingham county; Jesse. 



356 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 






whose liome is in Arkansas: Isaac: Clifford. 
who is now a student in tlie dental college, at 
Lansing. Michigan: and Xellie. who died in 
1903. 

In his political affiliation Mr. Thompson is 
a democrat and he cast his first ])residential 
vote for Franklin Pierce in 1832. His wife is 
a memher of the Baptist church and they are 
well known in the communit\- w here they have 
long resided, heing a worthy pioneer couple 
whose life has l)een characterized l)y industr\-. 
frugalitv and strong purpose, by exemplary 
habits and honnrable methods. Mr. Thompson 
has indeed l)een a witness of much of the 
growth of the country and has experienced all 
of the hardships and privations of pioneer life. 



JOHX I. MIXER. 

John 1. Hiner. who carries on general agri- 
cultural pursuits on a farm of one hundred and 
sixtv acres on section 2 7,. Lebanon township, is 
a native of Ohio, his birth having occurred in 
Ashland county, on the 22d of July, 1857. 
His father. Alartin Hiner, was horn in Lan- 
caster county, Pennsylvania, in 18 13. and was 
a son of Leonard Hiner. of (ierman jjarentage. 
Martin Hiner was reared in Pennsylvania and 
on leaving that state made the journe\- on foot 
to W'avne comUv. Ohio, carrying his beliing- 
ings ujxin bis l)ack. He made a permanent lo- 
cation there and was married in the Buckeye 
state to Miss Lucinda Zinunerman. a native of 
Pennsvlvania. Subsequentlv be settled in Ash- 
land county. Ohio, where be opened up a farm 
of one hundred and seventy-three acres, carry- 
ing on the work of cultivation until it became a 
well improved property. He died there in 
1890. while his wife passed away in 1873. In 
their family were six children. 

John I. Hiner was reared in Ashland county, 
Ohio, and pursued his education in the public 
schools there. On attaining bis majority be. 
too. sought a companion and helpmate for life's 
journey and was married in August. 1876. to 
Miss Elizal)eth M. \\'ohlford. whose liirth oc- 



curred in Km IX county. Ohio. Her father 
was Michael WHblford, who was born in 
PennsyKania in 1813 and was there reared. 
When a young man he went to Ohio, where he 
married Mary E. Lucas, a native of that state. 
His death occurred in September. 1862. in 
Knox county. Ohio, and Mrs. Wohlford after- 
ward reared their family. She later married 
Martin Hiner a'.id now resides with her daugh- 
ter. Mrs. John I. Hiner. at the advanced age 
of eighty-five years. 

Following his marriage John I. Hiner 
worked for his father until twenty-one years of 
age, after which he was in the railroad service 
for six months. He then rented a farm for a 
year. He came to Michigan in May. 1880, 
and bought eighty acres of land on section 25. 
Bingham township, Clinton county, in the 
midst of the forest. This he cleared and culti- 
vated, residing thereon for thirteen years. In 
the work of clearing and fencing the land he 
never employed any assistance save at logging 
for three days, doing all the hard work him- 
self. He at length traded his first j^roperty for 
the farm wbere he now resides, ba\-ing here 
one hundred and twent\' acres of land, upon 
which be took up bis abode in 1893. This he 
at once began to cultivate and improve and has 
now ])laced the farm in an excellent condition. 
His im])ro\ements constitute an attractive 
farm residence, a good barn and a granary. He 
keeps all of bis sheds and buildings in good re- 
])air and has planted .some fruit, ha\ing lierries, 
api)les and other fruit upon the place. Since 
establishing bis home here he has purchased an 
adjoining tract of forty acres and bis farm 
now covers a (|uarter section. He has brought 
tlie land to ;i high state of cultivation, has 
cleared it of stiun])s and stones and has fenced 
the ])lace and now has seven hundred rods of 
\\<i\e!i wire fence. Evervthing is in keeping 
with modern ideas of farming and his labors 
ba\e wrought a wonderful change in the ap- 
pearance of bis homestead. 

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Hiner have been born 
six children, of whom three are living: Delbert 
C. who is married and owns and operates a 
farm adjoining bis father's place: C. \\'., w'ho 



n 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



357 



assists his fatlier on the farm; and Clyde, a lad 
of nine years. To the republican party Mr. 
Miner has always given his ])olitical supixnt 
and has taken an active interest in local politics 
in liehalf of the success of his i)arty and its 
candidates but he has never sought or desired 
ofHce for himself. He served for one year on 
the hoard of review but otherwise has held no 
])ositions of political preferment. He and his 
wife belong to the local Grange and also to 
the Maccabees and for a number of years he 
has been a member of the Farmers' Mutual In- 
surance Company. Mr. Hiner deserves much 
credit for what he has accomplished for he 
started out in life empty-handed, having no 
family or pecuniary assistance. His labor and 
enterprise have been the foundation upon 
which he has builded the superstructure of his 
success. He has worked earnestly and persist- 
ently and with the assistance of his estimable 
wife has accumulated a valuable farm, having 
now one of the neatest and best impnned farm 
properties of the locality. In his business ca- 
reer he has dis|)layed man\- sterling trails of 
character and through his farming operations 
he has assisted materiallv in the development 
of this part of the state. He and his wife ha\e 
manv friends, to whom the hospitality of the 
best homes of Lebanon township is cordially 
extended, and thev deser\e mention in this vol- 
ume among the leading residents of Clinton 
count\-. 



Cll.\Rl.i:S II. GREFX. 

Charles H. (ireen. one of the thrifty and 
progressive fanners of \'ictor township, is liv- 
ing on section u. where he owns a well im- 
prox'ed tract of land of one hundred and twenty 
acres. Forty-three years have come and gone 
since he arrived in Clinton comity and great 
have been the changes that have been wrought 
in this period. He was at that time a little 
lad of only about three years, for his birth 
occurred on the 28th of Se])tember. 1859. in 
\'ictor township, Ontario county. New York. 



His father, (ieorge (ireen, was bom in England 
and spent the flays of his youth there. He 
wedded Miss Essett Lanning, also a native of 
luigland. and for some years after their mar- 
riage they resided upon a farm in that country 
where three children were hnn unto them. 
With their family they then crossed the Atlantic 
to the United States, settling in Ontario county, 
N'ew \'ork. and in 1862 came westward to 
Michigan, where the father made a permanent 
location upon the farm that is now owmed and 
iccui^ied by his son Charles. He l)Ought land 
that was covered with heavy timl)er and cut 
.iway the forest trees, clearing and developing 
the farm along modern lines of agricultural de- 
\eloi)ment. There he reared his family and 
s])ent his last days, his death occurring Febru- 
ary 6, 1883. His wife survived him for a 
few years and died in 1892. In their family 
were five children, of whom three are li\ing: 
.M;n"tha. deceased; Hattie. widow of Reuben 
Chant: Elizabeth, wife of Henn*- C. Kirk, of 
\ ictor township: John, who died in earl\- man- 
hood ; and Charles 1 1. 

Clru'les 11. Green was reared upon the old 
homestead tarm and |)ursued his education in 
the home schools. He continued to aid his 
father in the operation of the place until the 
latter"s death, after which he purchased the 
'uterest of the other heirs and succeeded to the 
ownership df the property. He was married in 
.Shiawassee county. December 12. 1885. to Miss 
1-jiinri .\. Boylan. a native of Clinton county, 
Michigan, and a daughter of J. C. Boylan, one 
of the early settlers of .Shiawassee countv. He 
inimediately took his bride to the old home farm, 
where he has since erected a neat new resi- 
lience. In 1903 he had the misfortune to lose 
his barn by fire and it was full of grain at the 
time. He has recently completed a large base- 
ment liarn which is across the road from the 
hou.se. There are good outbuildings uixin the 
l)lace and the latest improved machinerA'. also 
an orchard and plenty of small fruit. He has 
brought the land up to a high state of cultiva- 
tion and now owns one hundred and twenty 
.ncres in the old homestead and forty-seven acres 
in another tract. He likewise has a good bam 



358 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



on the second farm and hnth famis are highly 
cultivated. 

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Green have been bom 
three children, Ethel, \'ernie and Claude. The 
wife and mother died ^larch ii, 1898, and was 
laid to rest in Laingsburg cemeter\'. Politically 
Mr. Green has been a stanch republican from 
his youth to the present time but has never 
sought or desired office. He and his family 
are members of the Methodist Episcopal church 
and he is a careful and successful business man, 
seldom at fault in matters of business judg- 
ment, while his reliability and integrity are 
above que.stion. 



GEORGE W. FLETCHER. 

George W. Fletcher, living on section 22. 
Bath township, is one of the thrifty fanners 
and stock-raisers of the community owning and 
operating eighty acres of well improved land. 
He was born in the town of Putnam, Living- 
ston county, Michigan. January- 6, 1841, and 
is a son of Isaac Fletcher, whose birth occurred 
in New York, where the days of his boyhood 
and youth were passed. He was married there 
to Esther Cole, a native of the same state, and 
he followed the blacksmith's trade in connection 
with general farming. \\'hile still residing in 
the east two children were added to their family 
and in the year 1837 Mr. Fletcher removed to 
the west, establishing his home in Livingston 
county, Michigan. There he followed general 
agricultural pursuits and also carried on a 
blacksmith shop. Alxiut 1845 he removed to 
Clinton county, settling in Bath township on 
section 33, where he built and conducted a shop, 
doing work for the neighborhood for many 
years. Upon the farm he reared his family 
and spent his remaining days, passing away 
about 1859. His wife sur\'ived him for several 
years. They were the parents of four sons and 
five daughters, all of whom reached adult age, 
while three sons and three daughters are yet 
living. 

George W. Fletcher was reared in this state 
and is indebted to the public-school system for 



the educational privileges he enjoyed in his 
youth. Through the summer months he aided 
in the work of the farm and he remained upon 
the old homestead until he had attained his ma- 
jority. In fact he took charge of the home 
place when about eighteen years of age and the 
care and development of the faitn devolved 
upon him. In 1863 he purchased the place 
where lie nnw resides and in the midst of the 
forest began the improvement of the eightj--acre 
tract of land which at that time was all covered 
with timber. This he at once began to clear 
away and fence. His first residence was a log 
cabin and he also built a log stable. Great 
changes have since been wrought and the trans- 
formation has been carried forward along pro- 
gressive lines. He has erected a good two- 
story residence, built a large basement bam, has 
planted an orchard and has a neat and well im- 
proved property and in connection with the rais- 
ing of the cereals best adapted to soil and cli- 
mate he also raises good grades of stock and 
in both departments of his business is meeting 
with success. 

On the 9th of November. 1862, in Ingham 
county, Mr. Fletcher was united in marriage 
to Miss Arvilla V. Culver, who was bom in 
Oakland cnunty. but was reared in Ingham 
county, her ])arents being George and Olive 
Culver, who removed from the former to the 
latter county and became representative farm- 
ing people there. Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher have 
becimie the parents of three children: Rose E., 
the wife of A. L. Showerman, a farmer of 
Bath township; Ida M., the wife of W. D. 
Harris, who follows farming in the same town- 
ship; and Nettie J., who is the wife of George 
W. Rob.son, a farmer owning and operating a 
place adjoining Mr. Fletcher's farm. 

Politically Mr. Fletcher is a stanch repub- 
lican and cast his first presidential vote for 
.Vbraham Lincoln in 1864, while by his last 
ballot he supported Theodore Roosevelt in 1904. 
He has never missed a general election and but 
one town caucus and has taken an active part in 
local political work. He has served as justice 
of the peace, has also been highway commis- 
sioner and in other positions of public trust has 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY 



359 



ever liecn faithful to the duties that have de- 
volved upon iiim. He is a member and dirertor 
of the Farmers' Mutual Insurance Company, 
which solicits insurance and adjusts losses, and 
is recognized as a good business man and suc- 
cessful agriculturist, well known in Clinton and 
Tngham counties, where he has the confidence 
and esteem of the entire community. Both he 
and his wife are members of the Freewill 
Baptist church ;md have a favorable acquaint- 
ance in the locality where they have now long 
made their home. 



MYRON A. KNIFFIN. 

Myron A. Kniffin. a representative of com- 
mercial and shipping interests in St. Johns, is 
a native of Washtenaw county. Michigan, bom 
December 29, 184 1. His father. Amos R. 
Kniffin. was bom in Seneca county. New 
York, and having arrived at years of maturity 
was married there to Miss Nancy JefTery, like- 
wise a native of that county. On coming to 
Michigan in 1830 they settled in Washtenaw 
county, Ijecoming pioneer residents of that part 
of the state, where the father carried on farm- 
ing for a time. He returned to New York. 
however, in 1850, and for four years was a res- 
ident of Niagara county, again coming to 
Michigan in 1854. when he located in Ovid 
township, Clinton county. He was not long 
permitted to enjov his new home here, for he 
died the following year when fifty years of 
age. His widow survived him until 1870. pass- 
ing awa\- at the age of sixty-two years. In 
their family were seven children, all of whom 
have passed away with the exception of Myron 
A., the fourth in order of birth, and one daugh- 
ter, Louise M., now the wife of Newton W. 
Bush, a leading attorney of Aberdeen, Wash- 
ington. Those deceased are Milo A., who died 
while with the Union army at Jackson. Missis- 
sippi : John J., who was a soldier and after the 
close of the war died from the efifects of 
wounds sustained in service: Grovier C, who 
died in a Cincinnati hospital while a Union sol- 
23 



dier. and Mary Jane, the wife of Almeron 
Stowell. 

Myron .\. Kniffin was reared to farm life on 
his father's place, w'here he remained until 
eighteen years of age, when his patriotic spirit 
was aroused and he responded to his country's 
call, enlisting on the loth of September, i86t. 
as a member of Company B, Third Michigan 
Ca\'alry. He was mustered into the service in 
October and after one year he was honorably 
discharged because of disability. He had par- 
ticipated in the engagement at New Madrid. 
Missouri. He is now a leading member of 
Charles E. Grisson post. ('•. A. R.. and in the 
fall of 1904 was elected its commander. 

Following his return from the armv Mr. 
Kniffin supplemented his district-school educa- 
tion by a course in Eastman's Commercial Col- 
lege at Chicago, after which he entered mer- 
cantile life in 1867 and with the exception of 
four years spent in Ludington, Michigan, he 
has been continuously connected with mercan- 
tile and shipping interests in St. Johns. He 
conducts a store on Higham street. West, and 
is agent for the sale of the Deering harvesting 
machinery and all kinds of farm implements. 
His business has now reached profitable pro- 
portions and he is classed with the representa- 
tive merchants of St. Johns. 

On the 23d of May, i86g. Mr. Kniffin was 
married to Miss Lominda Houston, a daughter 
of Mathew and Arabella Houston, of Clinton 
county. They have a son, Myron Houston, 
who is now a bookkeeper in St. Johns National 
Bank. The parents are members of the Meth- 
odist Episcopal church, with which Mr. Kniffin 
has been connected for many years and 
through a long period he has served as trustee 
and steward. He belongs to the Ancient Order 
of United Workmen, in which he has filled a 
number of the chairs, and in politics he is a 
stalwart republican. He has been alderman 
and a member of the board of education and 
for four terms was supervisor. The public 
trusts reposed in him have been faithfully per- 
formed and he is a man of untarnished reputa- 
tion in business circles, highly respected in his 
community as a man of affairs and one who 



36o 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



has wielded a wide and helpful influence in be- 
half of general improvement. A pioneer of 
Clinton county he came to Ovid township in 
1854 and has therefore been a resident of this 
portion of the state for a half century. 



DEACOX CHARLES SEXTON. 

Deacon Charles Sexton, numbered among die 
early settlers of Michigan and of Clinton county 
and for vears one of the successful farmers of 
Duplain townshi]), now makes his home in 
Elsie. He still owns, however, a farm of 
eighty acres within one mile of the village and 
it returns to him a gratifying annual income. 
He has livcil in the county since 1850 and. 
ixissessing a remarkable memory of earh- 
events. he relates in an interesting manner 
many of the incidents which have left their 
impress upon the pulilic life and development 
of this part of the state. 

A native of Connecticut, Mr. Sexton was 
born in Waterbury on the 12th of December, 
1829. his parents being Mr. and ]Mrs. Henry 
Sexton. His father was born in Xew York 
city, was a mechanic and for seven 
years worked in a clock factory. He 
also engaged in shoemaking tor a num- 
ber of years and on removing from Connecticut 
about 1836 he took up his abode in Medina 
county, Ohio, settling on a farm in the town of 
Brunswick, on which he reared his family. In 
1850 he removed to Michigan, coming at once 
to Elsie, where in connection with his son. 
Charles Sexton, he entered land from the gov- 
ernment in Duplain township. 

Charles Sexton up to this time had accom- 
panied his father on his various removals and 
after they liecame landowners in Clinton county 
he cleared and fenced the land, erected build- 
ngs thereon and opened up a good farm. He 
also assisted in clearing and improving other 
farms, on which he put good residences, bams 
and other outbuildings. For many years he 
was actively connected with agricultural pur- 
suits but eventually removed to Elsie, where he 



purchased a residence and made his home for 
three years. During that time, however, he 
gave much of his attention to the wurk nf the 
old homestead property. 

Mr. Sexton was married first in Ohio, re- 
turning to that state, where in October. 1852. 
he wedded ]\Iiss X^ancy M. Lewis, a native of 
New "N'ork. who went to Ohio in her girlhood 
days. She was a faithful companion and help- 
mate to her husband for many \-ears and her 
death occurred in Elsie on the 14th of De- 
cember, 1900. In their family were three chil- 
dren who are still living : Alice, the wife of 
(ieorge Meacher. of Otsego county. X'ew York: 
Melvin M.. a business man of Gaylord. Xew 
York: and Ernest J., who follows farming 
near Elsie. They also lost five children : Mar- 
tin \'., who died at the age of six years: Wil- 
liam J., who also [jassed away when about six 
years of age: Dr. Harry L. Sexton, who died 
when a young man after having graduated from 
the Cleveland Medical College: George E.. who 
was a teacher and died at die age of twenty- 
one years. On the 4th of June. 1903, in St. 
Johns. Mr. Sexton was again married, his sec- 
ond union being with Mrs. Martha W'ooley, 
a nati\'e of Canada, who came to Michigan 
when a child and was reared and educated in 
Ingham and Jackson counties. Her father was 
Rev. William E. Whitney, a minister of the 
Freewill Baptist church. She first gave her 
hand in marriage to Isaac Wooley and they 
located in Gratiot county, where he followed 
the occupation of farming and remained up to 
the time of his death, which occurred in 1896, 
He was a prominent fanner there for thirty- 
seven years and passed away at the age of 
sixtv-seven years, leaving one son, James A. 
Wooley. who is now residing in Elsie. 

Mr. Sexton was a republican in his political 
views for many years but now gives his sup- 
port to the prohibition party. He ser\-ed as 
commissioner of highways for six years, was 
long a member of the school board and has 
been a member of the village board. He holds 
membership in the Freewill Baptist church, was 
one of the building committee at the time of 
the erection of the house of worship at Elsie 




LllAkLES SEXTON. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



36^ 



and has served as church trustee, while in tlie 
work of the church he has been very active and 
influential. He also served as chorister for a 
number of years, was one of the first Sunday- 
school superintendents and was clerk of the 
church for twenty-sev-en years. His efforts in 
behalf of the church and Sunday-school have 
been far-readiing and beneficial and he is now 
the oldest deacon in the church. In .April. 1900. 
he took up his abode in Elsie, where he has 
since made his home. He is honored as a man 
of genuine worth, of high principle and of un- 
faltering fidelity to whatever he believes to be 
right, and throughout the community he has 
commaniled the respect aufl confidence of all 
with win mi he has come in contact. 



E. A. LITCHFIELD. 

E. A. Litchfield, the present efficient post- 
master of Elsie and an active business man, is 
one of the native sons of Duplain township, 
born Januan,- 25, 1876. His father, Jnseph .\. 
Litchfield, was a native of England, Ixirn in 
Staffordshire in August, 1840. Withhismother 
he came to the new world in his childhood 
days, arriving in the United States in t84('). 
His father died while they were on the voyage. 
The mother located with her family in Lorain 
county. Ohio, where Joseph A. Litchfield was 
reared to manhood and learned the st< memason's 
trade. He followed that business for a few- 
years and later was connected with the Lake 
Shore and Erie railroads, being engaged as 
overseer on the construction of stone work on 
the bridges of tho.se lines for several years. He 
gave up that line of work on account of ill 
health and came to Michigan, settling on a fann 
in Shiawassee county, where he spent his re- 
maining days, his death occurring in February, 
1888. His wife still survives him and yet re- 
sides in Elsie. 

E. .\. Litchfield was reared to manhood on 
the old home farm in Shiawassee county and 
rcniaine<l with his mother until he attaineil 
adult age. his education laeing acquired in the 



public schools. He was married in Shiawassee 
county, November 7, 1891, to Miss Amy Saw- 
yer, who was lyirn, reared and educated in that 
county, and was a daughter of Richard Saw- 
yer, one of the first settlers of Owosso. 

Following his marriage Mr. Litchfield en- 
gaged in operating the old hotne farm for eight 
years and later 1)ought the property but after- 
ward sold it. In May. 1904. he purchased one 
hundred and twenty acres of land in Saginaw 
county but ne\-er resided thereon, although it 
was his intention to do so when he bought the 
projierty. In 1S98 he removed to Elsie and 
purchased residence property. Here he turned 
his attention to carpentering but later made a 
specialty of drilling and putting in wells. He 
has sunk a great many wells in Qinton, Shia- 
wassee, Saginaw and Gratiot counties. He has 
also done some work for the Elsie Concrete 
P>ridge Comixmy and is a practical mechanic 
and successful business man, possessing much 
energy and capability and successfully accom- 
plishing all that he undertakes. 

Politically Mr. Litchfield has always been a 
re])ublican and while residing in Shiawassee 
county he was elected and served as highway 
commissioner of Fairfield townshi]). He has 
since served as treasurer of Duplain township, 
Clinton county, and also as a member of the 
Elsie school board, and in 1905 he was ap- 
pointed postmaster of Elsie, giving to the tow-n 
a ]:)ublic-spirited and efficient administration in 
that office, discharging his duties with credit to 
himself and satisfaction to the community at 
large. 

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Litchfield have been bom 
f<iur children, \'era J-. Verna A.. Joseph C. and 
Lee J. The parents arc members of the Elsie 
Methodist Episcopal church, in which Mr. 
Litchfield is .serving as trustee, and he is also an 
active and faithful Sunday-school worker, 
fomierly serving as Sunday-school sujierintend- 
ent at Chapin. He l^elongs to Elsie lodge. A. 
V. & .\. M.. and alsf) the In<le|iendent Order of 
Oi\t] Fellf)ws. He has filled \arious offices in 
these organizations and is a past grand of the 
( )dd b'ellows and served as district cleputy. 
lie is al.so a member of the encampment of the 



3^4 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



Odd Fellows, in which he is past chief patriarch, 
and he and his wife affiliate with the Daugh- 
ters of Rebekah. He is well known in Clin- 
ton, Shiawassee and Saginaw counties as a 
man of business integrity and worth and has 
made for himself a creditable name and gained 
a gratifying measure of success during the 
vears of an active business career. 



JOHN W. VOURY. 



John W. Youry, an active and energetic 
farmer, owning eigthy acres of land on section 
22, Bath township, and also a tract of fifteen 
acres on section 2"/, was bom upon the farm 
where he yet resides, his natal day Ijeing Sep- 
tember 21, 1858. His father, Washington 
Youry, was born in Orange county. New York, 
in 1833, and after arriving at years of maturity 
was married there to Sarah A. Conklin, also a 
native of the Empire state. For several years 
they remained residents of New York and in 
1852 removed westward to Michigan, estalj- 
lishing their permanent home in Bath town- 
ship, Clinton county, where the father pur- 
chased the land upon which his son John W. 
now resides. It was in a state of nature, co\- 
ered with the forest growth, but he at once cut 
down the trees, cleared the land and prepared 
it for the ])low, dixiding it into fields of con- 
venient size by well kept fences. As the years 
passed l)v he thus opened up his farm and the 
old homestead continued to be his place of res- 
idence imtil the time of his death, which oc- 
curred in i8qo. His wife sur\'i\e(l him for 
about ten years and passed away in iqoo. In 
the family of this worthy couple were three 
sons and three daughters. 

John W. Youry, spending his toyhood days 
upon the old home farm here, made his way 
each morning through the winter months to 
the little schoolhouse of the neighborhooil. 
wherein he mastered the branches of the Eng- 
lish learning there taught. In the sunnner sea- 
sons he assisted in the labors of the fields, re- 
mainin"- with his father until the hitter's death 



and afterward purchasing the interest of the 
other heirs in the old homestead until he had 
succeeded to the ownership of the propertv. As 
a companion and heljimate for life's journey 
he chose Mrs. Sarah Schoals and they were 
married in Bath, March 22, 1900. She is a 
native of this county, her birth having occurred 
in Olive township, her father being S. \V. 
Xewnian of the same township. Bv her for- 
mer marriage she had four children, .\lfred, 
Flossie G., Loy J. and Albert H. Schoals. Mr. 
and Mrs. Youry have a daughter. Hazel .\. 

When age gave to Mr. Your}- the right of 
franchise he laecame a stanch advocate of re- 
l)ul)lican principles but later joined the ranks of 
the prohibition ]>arty. He was elected and 
ser\ed for two consecutive terms as township 
treasurer, has also been school assessor, school 
ins]3ector and a delegate to the count v conven- 
tions. He and his wife are memljers of the 
Freewill Baptist church and are people of the 
highest respectability, known and honored b\- 
all because of their fidelitv to principle. 

Ha\-ing learned the trade of carpenter rnid 
joiner in earlv life Mr. Your\- has erected upon 
his farm a good neat two-story residence, also 
substantial barns, and now has a well improved 
place, b'or fifteen years he has been known as 
a contractor and builder, doing work in the 
surrounding country, and various farm houses, 
barns, granaries and other buildings of his 
part of the countv stand as monuments to his 
labor and enterprise. He has alwaxs been an 
industrious, energetic man. and whatever he 
has undertaken has been carried forward to 
successful completion. 



I. L. :^IELVIN. 



I. L. Mclvin. living on section 35, Dewitt 
townslii]}. is a nati\e son of Clinton county, his 
birth ha\ing occurred on this farm March 24, 
187-'. His father was a native of England 
and when a voung man crossed the briny deep 
to the new world, settling first in the state of 
X^ew "S'ork. While living there he joined the 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



365 



I'niteil States navv and sei"ve<I tlirnufjh tlie war 
(if tlie I'ieliellidii, particijiating in numerous im- 
portant engagements. At'ter his discharge from 
the niihtary service of Iiis adopted countiy he 
came to tlie west and purcliased lantl whereon 
his son now resides. .\t that time it was in 
the midst of the forest and not a stick of tim- 
lier had lieen cut on the ])iace. the green trees 
standing in their primeval strength just as they 
came from the iiand of nature. He hegan here 
witii eiglity acres of land, which in due course 
of time lie cleared and fenced, thus opening up 
a gdod farm. 1 le afterward added eighty acres 
more and erected thereon a large residence, rdso 
liuilt gdiid harns and (luthuildings anil made a 
\aluahle property. In the Empire state he was 
married to Miss Ciracc McGmkey. a native of 
Canada, reared in that jilace. Mr. Melvin con- 
tinued to reside u])iin the old homestead until 
his death, wliich occurred Scjitcmlier .'7, 1897, 
while his wife sur\i\ed until \]iril 4, 1899. 
They had hecomc the parents of two :?ons and 
two daughters: J. L., of this review; R. B. ; 
Mary B. ; and Sarah E.. the last named being 
the wife of Frank Chapin, of Hillsdale. Michi- 



|irosi)erous farmer of Dewitt township. Mr. 
;ind Mrs. Melvin have one son, Leland R., and 
they lost tlieir first Innn, Qiester J., who die<l 
l">l)ruar\- 4, 1892, when three months old. 

I'olitically Mr. Melvin is a democrat where 
national issues are involved hut at lixral elec- 
tions \()tes independently. su])porting men and 
measures whom he regards as best qualified for 
ofiice. 1 le has never desired or sought for 
office nor ser\ed in official positions save as a 
member of the schof)l board and as district clerk. 
Ik' ;ind his wife are valued memljers of the 
i'ranklin .\\enue Presbyterian church of 
Lansing and he belongs to Protection lodge, 
Xo. 321. 1. O. O. F., there, in which he is 
serving as one of the officers. His religious and 
fraternal relations indicate the high standard 
of conduct and the upright principles w^hich he 
endorses and liis life lias lieen in harmony there- 
with. He has a wide acquaintance in the 
couiitx' where he has always lived and where lie 
has so directed his eff^orts as to gain botii suc- 
cess and an honoral)le name. 



J. L. MeKin >pcnt the ilavs of his Ixiyhood 
and youth upon the old family homestead, no 
e\ent of special imiK)rtance occurring to vary 
the routine of farm life for him in his boy- 
hood days. He was educated in the common 
schools and in Lansing Business College and 
after arriving at mature years he took charge 
of the farm and business and has succeeded to 
the old home place, owning now one hundred 
and sixty acres of productive land on section 
35, Hewitt townshi]), ])leasantly and con- 
veniently located within two and a half miles 
of Lansing. 

On the 28tli of Se|)teml)er, 1898, in Dewitt 
townshi]!. Mr. Melvin was married to .\ugusta 
L. lleidt, who was lioni, reared and educated 
in that township and the high school of 
Lansing. Her fatlier. John K. Heidt, was torn 
on Long Island. Xe\K ^'ork, and was reared 
and educated there. lie was married to 
Josephine Baumgrass and in liis family were 
two sons and four daughters. He is now a 



GEORfiF H. DOD(7E. 

( ieorge 11. Dodge, who \n a well spent life 
has commanded the respect and confidence of 
those with whom he has been associated and 
has also won a gratifying measure of success, 
was born in .Massachusetts, on the 7t1i of Janu- 
ary. 1834, his ])arents being Har\e\- and Lu- 
cretia ( Barton) Dodge, who were likewise na- 
tives of the old Bay state. The Dodge family 
was established in .America by three brother'? 
who came from Somersetshire. England, and 
resided in Beverly, Massachusetts, thus found- 
ing the family from which our subjcet is de- 
sceiided. 'I'lie first of this line was William 
Dodge, son of John Dodge, of Somersetshire, 
England, who took up his abode in Salem. 
Massachusetts, in 1629. Paul Dodge, the 
grandfather of our subject, was Ixirn in Dud- 
ley. Massachusetts, in 1774. and was married 
to Rhoda White, of Charlton, that state. Their 
children were: Barnev : Harvev. the father of 



366 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



our subject: and Lucy, who became the wife of 
Curtis PhilHps. 

[n the year 1856 Har\'ey Dodge and his 
family came from New England to Micliigan, 
settling on the northwest corner of section 
24, Ovid township, where Mr. Dodge became 
the owner of one hundred and sixty acres of 
wild and unimproved land. With character- 
istic energy, howexer, he began the develop- 
ment of his farm, upon which he spent his re- 
maining days, his death occurring in 1873. 
when he was seventy-three years of age. His 
wife ])assed away in 1858, at the age of fifty- 
eight years. In their family were five children : 
Lewis, deceased: Sallie: Mary: Eliza, the 
widow of \\'illiam Barton, of Ovid: and 
George, of this review. In the maternal line 
Mr. Dodge is also of English lineage for the 
Bartons were from England and Joseph Bar- 
ton, the maternal grandfather, lived in Charl- 
ton, Massachusetts. 

George H. Dodge acquired only a limited 
education and at the age of twelve years began 
\\(>rking in a cotton factory, where he re- 
mained for a year. When a youth of thirteen 
he had the opportunity of attending school for 
four months and later he worked upon a farm, 
while subsec|uently he spent some time at farm- 
ing on his father's place. He was employed in 
a sash and blind factory and at the shoe- 
maker's trade but believing that he might have 
better business opportunities in the middle 
west he came to Michigan in 1856. settling in 
Ovid. His father entered one hundred and 
si.xt}- acres of land from the government 
whereon Mr. Dodge now resides. In 1858 the 
latter returned to Massachusetts but in 1867 
again came to Michigan and has since lived 
upon the old farm. It was wild and wooded 
and George H. Dodge has cleared sixty acres 
of this place, while his father cleared the re- 
mainder. He has erected all of the buildings 
U])i>n the farm and has to-dav a model and val- 
uable propert)- C(|uippcd with all the accesso- 
ries and con\-enienccs known to a model farm 
of the twentieth centurw 

In 1856 Mr. Dodge was united in marriage 
to Aliss Mar)- .A. Dodge, a daughter of Jenni- 



son Dodge, of Dudley, Massachusetts. She 
died in the year 1862 and Mr. Dodge was again 
married on the 8th of December. 1870, his sec- 
ond union lieing with Sarah A. Briggs, a daug- 
ter of William and Marie (Thomas) Briggs, of 
Yates county. New York, who came to Michi- 
gan, settling in \^ictor township in 1869. Her 
father died December 28, 1904, at the vener- 
able age of eighty-five years, while his wife 
passed away September 22, 1894, at the age of 
seventy-one years. In their famiK- were nine 
children, of whom four are yet li\'ing. Mrs 
Dodge being the eldest while the others are : 
William, a resident of Traverse City, Michi- 
gan : James, who is living in Ovid : and George, 
also of Ovid. 

Mr. Dodge exercises his right <>i franchise 
in support of men and measures of the repub- 
lican party but has never desired or sought 
office although he sened for one term as dep- 
uty sheriff. He is a man reliable in business and 
])ublic life, and is regarded as one of the lead- 
ing citizens of his commvmit)'. He has borne 
his full share in the work of making this region 
one of the productive centers of the state and 
as an agriculturist has won a gratifying meas- 
ure of prosperity. 



WILLI. \^1 IVES. 



William Ives, one of the successful agri- 
culturists of Olive township who.se farm of two 
hundred acres on section 36 gives every evi- 
dence of careful management and practical 
methods, has been a resident of Clinton county 
since 1854 and in the half century which has 
since come and gone he has so lived as to en- 
joy in unf|ualified measure the respect and the 
confiflence of his fellowmen. He is a native of 
Niagara county, New York, born February 14, 
1843, his ]iarents being \\"arren and Marietta 
( Brons(^n) Ives. The father was born in 
Cayuga county. New York, in 1802 and was 
a .son of Squire I\es, a native rif Ireland, who 
on crossing the .\tlantic to .\merica became one 
of the earlv settlers of Niasrara countv. War- 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



367 



ren Ives was reared in tlie county of his na- 
ti\'ity and was there marriefl to ^Marietta Bron- 
son. whose birth occurred in Niagara county 
and who was a dauglitcr of Samuel Bronson. 
In the year 1845 Mr. and Mrs. Ives removed 
Avestward to Michigan, setthng in Oakland 
county, where tliey remained for nine years and 
tlicn in 1854 came to Clinton county, the father 
purchasing the farm upon which William Ives 
now resides. He worked hard and persex'eringly 
in order to cut down the trees, clear the land 
and transform the ])lace into productive fields, 
but his lal)ors were at length rewarded by gdod 
crops, and he continued to protitaljly conduct his 
farm until his death, which occurred in 1867. 
His wife survived him for twenty vears, pass- 
ing away in 1887. In their family were eleven 
children of whom two sons and three daugh- 
ters are lixing. the brother of William Ives 
lieing \\'ashington I\es. a resident of Benton 
Harbor. Michigan. The sisters are: Mrs. Mel- 
^•ina Dehor, of Laingsburg, Michigan: .Sarah 
Ann. the wife of ^^^ells .-\ldridge. of Washing- 
ton: and Mary j.. the wife of William Webl). 
of St. Johns. 

William Ives was reared uiion the home fami 
and helped impnne the fields and carry on the 
work of the place until in early manhood he 
inu'chased his father's interests and cared for 
his parents in their declining years. He has 
1)uilt a large l)rick residence, has put in a wind- 
])ump. has added the latest improved machinery 
and in fact carries on his farm work in such a 
manner that his labors are attended with a high 
measure of success. He has also Iniilt a tenant 
house that is occu]')ied by his .son. In connec- 
tion with the tilling of the soil he is engaged in 
raising good grades of cattle and horses but 
makes a specialty of Shrop.shire sheep. 

In September, 1866. Mr. Ives was united in 
marriage to Miss Cynthia .\. Fitz. a native of 
Eaton county, Michigan, and :i daughter of 
George Fitz. formerly of Niagara county. New 
^'ork. They ha\e l)ecome the parents of four 
children : Myrtle, who married George Beeler 
and they took up their abode on her fatlier's 
farm, where she died about 1894: George, who 
died in infancy: Emerson, who is married and 



lives on the farm: and Enza L. D., whcj also 
aids in the operation of his father's place. 

Politically Mr. l\es is a stanch democrat but 
has always preferred that others shouhl hold 
office, while he fle\otes his attention to his 
private business interests. He is well known 
in St. Joiins and Clinton county as a prosper- 
ous and well-to-do farmer and for more than a 
half century has livetl upon this place which is 
vet his home. He can remember when it was 
a heavily timbered region covered with the na- 
ti\e forest trees but long since these have been 
re])laced by fields of waving grain, which in 
connection with the rich pasture land makes 
his ]ilace one of the valuable farm properties 
of the county. 



\\IIdJ.\M A, NORTON. 

\\'illi;ini A. Norton, figuring prominently in 
legal and jiolitical circles of Clinton county and 
of the state and wielding a \\ide influence in 
public thought and action, is now engaged in 
practicing at St. Johns as a member of the 
firm of Norton & Jameson. He was born in 
the \illage of Farmington, Oakland county. 
Michigan. Octo1>er 24. 1853. His paternal 
grandfather came from the Empire state to 
Michigan, settling near Rochester, Oakland 
county. He was the first mini.ster of the Bap- 
tist church in this state. His son. the Rev. 
William R. Norton, was born in New York 
;ind was one of a family of five children, all of 
whom are now deceased, namely: John M., 
Myron H.. Erastus. William R. and Christo- 
pher. Rev. William R. Norton also became a 
Freewill Baptist clergyman. He was educated 
in Rochester (New York) .\cademy and was 
the founder of the Rose Baptist church in Bath 
tmvnship. the first (Organization of that denom- 
ination in Clinton county. He preached there 
and at other points for a number c)f years, his 
labors contributing in substantial measure to 
the moral development of the community. His 
consecration and earnest devotion to the work 
made his influence a jxitent power for good and 



368 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



it is yet a moving force in the lives of many 
who knew him and came under his teachings. 
He married Miss Pliebe A. Abel, also a native 
of the Empire state, and they became the par- 
ents of two children : William A. and Sarah, 
the deceased wife of W'heaton Velhon. By a 
previous marriage to Miss Gardner the father 
had four children : Walter, who was wounded 
in the army and died from the effects of his in- 
juries: Mar\-. the deceased wife of Richard 
Perry, of Howard Citv. Michigan ; Loren. de- 
ceased ; and Charles, who died in Duplain 
township. Rev. William R. Norton passed 
away in Duplain township in 1902. at the age 
of eighty years, while his second wife still sur- 
vives. 

William A. Norton attended successively 
the common schools. Hillsdale College and the 
Agricultural College at Lansing, Michigan, 
and he began preparation for his chosen pro- 
fession as a student in the law office of the 
firm of McPeek & Tinkham, of Grand Ledge, 
Michigan. He was admitted to the Clinton 
county bar in the summer of 1878 and began 
the practice of law at Grand Ledge, but soon 
afterward removed to Boyne, Michigan, where 
in 1880 he was elected prosecuting attorney of 
Charlevoix county, serving for two terms or 
four years. He came to Clinton count\- in 
1888. settling in St. Johns, where he succeeded 
Judge S. B." Daboll." of the firm of Daboll & 
Brunson. the new firm assuming the name of 
Norton & Brunson. Since that time Mr. Nor- 
ton has been successively a member of the 
firms of Norton & \\'eimer. Spartilding. Norton 
& \\'eimer, Spaulding. Norton & Dooling, Nor- 
ton &• Dooling and now Norton & Jameson. 
The firm enjoys a large and growing clientage, 
being connected with much of the important 
litigation of the district. Mr. Norton has been 
prosecuting attorney of Clinton countv for two 
terms. Nature bountifully endowed bini with 
the peculiar qualifications that combine to 
make a successful lawyer. Patiently persever- 
ing, possessed of an analytical luind and one 
that is readily receptive and retentive of the 
fundamental principles and intricacies of the 
law: gifted with a sjiirit of devotion to weari- 



some details, quick to comprehend the most 
subtle problems, and logical in his conclusions, 
fearless in the advocacy of any cause he mav 
espouse and the soul of honor and integrity, 
few men have been more richly gifted for the 
achievement of success in the arduous and dif- 
ficult profession of the law . 

Prominent in the ranks of the republican 
party, in Michigan during the campaigns Mr. 
Norton delivers nian\' ])ublic addresses under 
the auspices of the state central committee and 
is one of the leading orators of Michigan. He 
has been both temporary and permanent chair- 
man of the judicial and state con\'eutions in 
(irand Rapids and his opinions carrv weight in 
councils of his partv. 

In Januar\-. 1881, ^Ir. Norton was married 
to Miss Lillian K. Messenger, a daughter of 
Dr. San ford Messenger, of (irand Ledge, and 
they have two sons: Guy William and Russell 
F. The former has completed the literary 
course of the University of Michigan, having 
graduated with the class of 1905. and the latter 
was a graduate of the high school of St. Johns 
in the same year. Mr. Norton is a member of 
the Knights of Pythias fraternity antl has at- 
tained the Knight Tem])lar degree in Masonic 
circles. He is a man of action rather than the- 
ory and his interest in the leading questions of 
the day has led to active su])port of what he be- 
lieves to be right. He has a wide acf|uaintance 
throughout the state and has for some time 
been a leader in thought and action in the pub- 
lic life of Michigan, his "lame being inscribed 
high on the roll of its leading citizens. 



EDWWUn R. LESTER. 

Edward R. Lester, superintendent of the 
county poor farm, was born in Ohio, May it, 
i860, anfl is a son of Miles and Electa (Green- 
wood) Lester, the former a native of New York 
and the latter of New Hamjishire. Reinoving 
westward to ( )liio. the father there followed the 
occupation of farming, and his wife died in 
that state in 1863. after which he married Miss 



t 




MR. AX I) MRS. I-:. K. i.i-:si'i-:r. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



ZJ-i^ 



Slieceinan. of Indiana. In 1865 tlicy came to 
Clinton connty and Mr. Lester made his home 
in Shepardsville, Ovid township, working in 
tlie sawmill of Shephard & Sons. Eventually, 
howe\er. he gave up the mill work and rented 
the Kellogg farm, which he ojjerated until 1880, 
when he liought eighty acres of land in Ovid 
lown.ship, residing thereon until 1901. when he 
.sold the property and took up his abode in 
.Saginaw, Michigan, subsequent to which time 
he assisted in tiie operation of his son's farm 
inuil his death in 11)03. His remains were then 
brought back to Ovid and interred in Maple 
Grove cemetery, the funeral services being con- 
ducted by the .Masonic fraternity, to which he 
belonged, his meml)ership being in Ovid lodge. 
lie left two children of the first marriage, Ed- 
wanl ]\. and George H., the latter of Saginaw, 
with whom the father had l)een living prior to 
his death and a daughter by the second mar- 
riage, Mrs. Mary Pinkbinder, also of Saginaw. 
Edward R. Lester was only three years of 
age at the time of his mother's death, after 
which he went to live with his maternal grand- 
mother near Hamilton, Ohio, and attended 
school there until 1870. when he returned to 
Shepardsville, Michigan, living widi his father 
until 1882. He then .started out to make his 
own way in the world by working as a f.arm 
hand ;uid in 1883 he purchased forty acres of 
his father's farm but operated the entire tract 
for two vears. He then entered the employ of 
I. D. McCoUum, with win mi he worked for ten 
vears and on the expiration of that period he 
came to Bingham township to accept the ap- 
pointment of superintendent of the county farm, 
which position he has continuously and satis- 
factorily filled since 1899 or for six years. This 
farm comprises one hundred and fifty-five acres 
of improved land, the proceeds of which are 
used to provide a home for the poor of the 
county, niunbering about thirty-three persons, 
who are annually taken care of. .\bout fifteen 
acres of the farm are covered with the build- 
ings and orchard, while the remainder is de- 
voted to general agricultural pursuits. Each 
year atout twenty acres are planted to oats, si.x- 
teen acres to wheat, eight acres to beans. 



twenty-three acres to corn, three acres to pota- 
toes ;ind forty acres to hay. and in connection 
with the farm they have a dairy with a cream 
sejjaratnr. I*"\ery effort is made to have a 
healthful and home-like place for the poor and 
Mr. Lester has very capably managed the in- 
terests of this county institution. 

On the 8th of October, 1885, occurred the 
marriage of Edward R. Lester and Miss Maud 
Kidd, a daughter of James and Malvina 
( Lundy ) Kidd, of Ovid township. Her par- 
ents were natives of Canada, coming to Clin- 
ton county in 1882, at which time the father 
])urchased land in Ovid township. Her mother 
died in 1903, leaving a husband, four sons and 
two daughters to mourn her loss. Mr. Kidd 
died July i, 1905. The sons and daughters 
are: Frank, who is farming in Ovid township; 
(jeorge. William and Theodore, all in the west; 
Mrs. Ed Taylor, of Eaton county; and Mrs. 
Lester. In the maternal line Mrs. Lester is 
descended from a ])n)minent family figuring in 
history in connection with the war between 
Lngland and I'rance and the battle of Lundy's 
Lane was fought on her grandfather's farm. 
Our sul)ject and his wife have one child, Claude 
R.. liom January 21, i88g. Mr. Lester be- 
longs to St. Johns lodge. No. 81, I. O. O. F., 
and both he and his wife are connected with the 
Rebekah lodge there. 



CHARLES L. WARREN. 

Charles L. Warren, who has prospered in his 
fanning ojierations in Victor tow-nship and 
whose landed possessions comprise two hun- 
dred and thirty-seven acres on section i, is 
numbered among the native sons of Clinton 
county, his birth having occurred in Ovid town- 
ship, on the 27th of August. 1866. His father, 
Francis W. Warren, likewise a native of Michi- 
gan, was born in the town of Leona, Jackson 
county, on the 30th of September, 1836. His 
father. Lyman U'arren, was a native of Ver- 
mont, in which state he was reared to manhood 
and was there united in marriage to Isabella 



n- 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



Buss, alsd a native of X'ermont. Removing to 
the west he settled in Jackson county, ^lichigan, 
in 1835. estabhshing his home in the midst of 
the green woods, where lie developed a farm of 
eightv acres. Later he sold that property and 
became railroad agoit at different points. Sub- 
sequently he took up his abode in Calhoun 
county. Michigan, wiiere he spent his last days. 
By his first marriage he had two children. 

One of these. Francis \V. ^Varren. was 
reared and educated in Jackson county, and also 
spent four terms as a student in a college al 
Albion. Michigan. In 1861 he enlisted in the 
First Michigan Lancers as a member of Com- 
pany D. He became quartermaster sergeant 
of the com])any and was connected with cavalry 
service in this state until discharged in 1862. 
He was also recruiting officer of the company 
for three months. Later Mr. Warren hired a 
substitute who went to the front for him. On 
the 27th of Octolier. 1862. he was married in 
Victor township. Clinton county, to Miss L. 
Coats, a nati\-e of Xew XmV. but reared in 
Michigan. The young couple located in the 
town of Devvitt. where Mr. Warren engaged 
in farming for three years. He then removerl 
to Ovid township and Ixiught eighty acres of 
land which was heavily timbered. He at once 
Ijegan to clear away the trees and brush, how- 
ever, and in the course of time developed a good 
farm, whereon he resided for six years. He 
then sold out and removed to Jackson county 
but in 1872 again came to Clinton county and 
bought land in Victor township, whereon he en- 
gaged in farming for a number of years. Sub- 
sequently. hovvcN-er, he abandoned agricultural 
life and he and his wife now reside in the home 
of their son Charles L. Warren, so that he is 
now enjoying a well earned rest, after many 
years of close connection with agricultural in- 
terests in this section of Michigan. In the fam- 
ily were two sons and two daughters who 
reached years of maturity : Luella. who was 
married and died leaving two children: Mary, 
the wife of Charles Leech, of Perry, Shia- 
wassee county; Qiarles L., of this review; and 
Edward, a resident farmer of Victor town- 
ship. They also lost three children in early 



life: E. Clayton, who died at the age of two 
\ears : Ida and \ erna, both of whom were 
about si.x nnjnths old at the time of death. 

Charles L. Warren was reared in Clinton 
ciiuntv and acquired his education in the com- 
mon schools. He remained with his father until 
he had attained his majority and was then 
united in marriage, in \ ictor township, on the 
farm wliere he now resides, to Miss Minnie 
.Swarthnut. the wedding being celebrated No- 
vemlier 27. 188S. She was born and reared on 
this farm and is a daughter of Isaac Swarthout, 
one of the early settlers of Clinton county, com- 
ing to Michigan from the state of New '^'ork. 
He was InU a child when he arrived here and 
eventually he became one of the prominent men 
of Clinton county. Elected to the office of su- 
pervisor he was again and again chosen to the 
same position until he had ser\'ed for sixteen 
vears. Mrs. Warren was reared and educated 
in Clinton countvand here made her bcMiie until 
her death, which occurred in 1892. I'ollowing 
his first marriage -\Ir. Warren cultivated a 
rented farm fi;r three years, after which he re- 
mo\ed to the Swarthout farm and began its 
further development and improvement. There 
were but si.xty-seven acres of laud under culti- 
vation at the time he took up his abode on this 
place but he ha.s since cleared and fenced the 
greater jiart of the remainder and now has over 
one himdred acres under cultivation. His resi- 
dence is substantial and commodious and there 
are good barns and outbuildings upon the place 
which altogether is a well improved farm, giv- 
ing ex'ery evidence in its neat and thrifty ap- 
]iearance of the careful sunjieiTision and pro- 
gressi\-e methods of the owner. 

For his second wife Mr. Warren chose Miss 
I'.mnn Swarthout. a sister of his first wife. 
They were the two children of Isaac Swarthout, 
and both were accorded liberal educational 
privileges, attending school in Lansing and both 
were successful teachers prior to their marriage. 
There was one son by the first marriage. Ernest 
Clare W'arren. 

Politically Mr. Warren is a prohibitionist and 
his son is identified with the same party but 
neither have sought or desired office. He and 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



373 



his wife belong to tlie Methodist Episcopal 
church, while Francis Warren and his wife 
are memhers of the United Brethren churcli. 
Charles L. Warren is a member of the local 
Crange and is an agriculturist whose well di- 
rected business interests make him a rcjiresent- 
ative citizen of the community. His entire life 
has been passed in this county and the fact that 
many of his stanchest friends are numbered 
among those who have known him from his 
b'-\vh<x)d to the present time is an indication of 
an honorable career. 



TOSEPH ti-:rry 



Joseph Terry, a representative of a \alued 
class of ])ioneer settlers and a retired fanner, 
is now li\ing in St. Johns. The place of his 
natixity was Tompkins county, Xew ^'ork. 
where he was liorn May 7, 1829. The Terrys 
are of b'rench lineage and the branch of the 
family to which Joseph Terrj^ belongs was de- 
scended from one of two brothers who came 
to America from France a few generations ago 
and settled in Xew England. Elijah H. Teny, 
father of our subject, was a native of the state 
of Xew ^'ork and was a carpenter and joiner. 
He came to Michigan in 1833, settling in 
Washtenaw county near Ann Arlmr, and later 
he went to Illinois, where he sj^ent two years. 
He then returned to Clinton county, Michigan, 
living for a time in Victor township and after- 
ward in Ovid, whence he removed to Middle- 
bury. Shiawassee cnunty. wliere his remaining 
days were passed, his death occurring at the 
very venerable age of ninety-two years. In the 
east he had married Margaret Canan, also a 
native of New \'ork, and her death occurred 
in 1885, when she was eighty-six years of age. 
Josqih Terr)- was the youngest son in their 
family of eight children, of whom the living 
are: Isaac, a resident of Dexter. Michigan; 
John, who is living in Aurora. Illinois ; Zilpha. 
the widow of John Finley, of Aurora; and 
Elizal)eth, tlie widciw of M. Wade. Those de- 
ceased are Samantha, who married Robert Stitt; 



and Lucretia, the widow of John Cross, late of 
Clinton county. 

Joseph Terry receivefl but limiterl educational 
privileges anfl entered upon his business career 
in Washtenaw county, where under the direc- 
tion of his father he learned the trade of a 
carpenter, joiner and millwright, beginning 
work at the age of fourteen years. He was 
thus engaged until 1850. when he went to De- 
Kalb county. IHinois, where he was employed 
l;y bis uncle (Hi a farm. In [855 he returned 
ti> Michigan, having in the meantime invested 
the wages which he made in Illinois in a one- 
bundred-and-si\ty-acre tract of timber land in 
Victor township, this county. With his own 
hand he cut down the first tree hewn uixmi the 
l)lace. The next year he built a log house and 
in the spring following be luoved into this 
cabin accompanied by his mother and youngest 
sister. Two years later his father returned from 
Illinois and it was subsequent to this time that 
Elijah Terry took up his abode in Ovid. 

.\fter Joseph Terry had lived on his farm 
fur two years he encountered b.'U'd times and 
not having the capital necessan- to cany on the 
work, the farm at that time not being self-sup- 
porting, he resumed work at his trade in 
W.'ishtenaw county, being there connected with 
building pursuits for two years. During that 
lime he married, .after which he returned to his 
laml, determined tn make it a prnlitable propertv. 
Here he lived and prospered for fifty years. He 
cleared all but twenty acres of the original tract 
and be lx)Ught additional land until he had four 
hundred acres on sections 18 and 19, \''inton 
township. All this represented days, months 
and years of active and ])ersistent labor from 
early dawn until the set of sun, but his persist- 
ency of ]nirpose at length triumphed over all 
obstacles and in due cmirse of time he became 
possessed of a handsome competence. He con- 
tinued on his farm until December. 1903. when 
he sold that projierty and removed to St. Johns. 
He had previously erected the finest farm house 
in the county at a cost of three thousand dol- 
lars. He had also built big tams and other 
neces.sary stnictures for the shelter of grain and 
stock, and upon his lawii had planted fine elm. 



374 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



maple and evergreen trees. His place was 
splendidly improved and was a fitting monu- 
ment to his life of industry and enterprise. In 
April, 1905, he bought one hundred and eight 
acres a half mile east of the corporate hmits of 
St. Johns. 

On the 25th of March, i860, Mr. Tern*- was 
married to Miss Margaret Ann McCutcheon, 
a daughter of Andrew McCutcheon, of Washte- 
naw county, Michigan. Mr. Tern,' is a re- 
publican, having cast his first presidential vote 
for John C. Fremont, since which time he has 
been a stalwart advocate of the party. He has 
belonged to the Masonic fraternity since 1870, 
joining the lodge at Laingsburg, Shiawassee 
county. Although now living a retired life he 
still gives supervision to his invested interests. 
His has been an active and successful career 
and he is moreover known as one of the promi- 
nent pioneer settlers of the county, having taken 
an active part in reclaiming its wild lands and 
in promoting the work of improvement along 
various lines of practical utility. His mind 
carries the picture of pioneer times and condi- 
tions and he can relate many interesting inci- 
dents of earlv davs here. 



EDWARD A. REED. 

Edward A. Reed, who follows general farm- 
ing in Essex township where he has one hun- 
dred acres of land, his home being within the 
corporate limits of Maple Rapids, dates his resi- 
dence in the county from 1872. A large pro- 
portion of the citizens of this section of Michi- 
gan ha\-e come from New York, and Mr. Reed 
belongs to this class, his birth having occurred 
in Wayne county of the Empire state, on the 3d 
of October, 1850. His father, Bethuel Reed, 
was a native of Massachusetts, where he was 
reared and married, the lady of his choice being 
Miss Elizabeth Bloomer, a native of New York. 
Emigrating westward he settled in South Bend, 
Indiana, where he spent his remaining days. 

Edward A. Reed was a young lad when he 
accompanied his parents to Indiana and tliere 



he supplemented his early educational privileges 
by study in high school. After putting aside 
his text-books he prepared for life's practical 
and responsible duties by learning the carriage- 
painting trade, which he began in South Bend 
but completed in Detroit, Michigan. He then 
went to Portland, this state, where he fonned 
the acquaintance of Mr. Schofield, and entering 
into partnership with him they established a 
carriage factory in Elsie, Michigan, but soon 
afterward removed to Ovid and began business 
there. Mr. Reed furnished the capital and they 
carried on business together for two or three 
years, securing a good patronage. At length 
Mr. Reed sold out and went to Florida, where 
he spent a few months. After his return to 
the north he engaged in general merchandising 
and purchased a store at Maple Rapids, carry- 
ing on the business for eleven years with ex- 
cellent success. He employed four or five clerks 
during a portion of the time and had a large 
trade which made the entei^prise a good source 
of profit. Following his marriage he took 
charge of the farm upon which he now resides 
and his attention at the present time is given 
entirely to agricultural pursuits. 

Mr. Reed was married in Maple Rapids, in 
1893, to Mrs. O. F. Peck, a native of Cortland 
county. New York, where she was reared and 
educated. There she gave her hand in marriage 
to O. F. Peck, with whom she removed to the 
west, settling in Maple Rapids. Mr. Peck pur- 
chased a farm here and in connection with agri- 
cultural pursuits carried on merchandising and 
was also active in community affairs, serving 
as one of the county officers. It was after his 
marriage to Mrs. Peck that Mr. Reed took 
charge of the farm and business. For many 
years Mrs. Reed successfully engaged in teach- 
ing music. 

Politically Mr. Reed is an earnest republican 
and has served as a member of the village board, 
as trustee, assessor and as a member of the 
school board for several years. The trust re- 
posed in him is well placed for in the discharge 
of his duties he is ever prompt and faithful. He 
and his wife are members of the Methodist 
Episcopal church. He is a Master Mason of 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



375 



the lodge at Maple Rapids and also belongs to 
St. Johns chapter, R. A. M., and of the former 
has served as secretary' for several years. Well 
known as a manufacturer, merchant and agri- 
culturist in Clinton county, he has a wide ac- 
quaintance throughout this part of the state and 
is known as a gentleman of integrity and worth, 
well meriting the confidence reposed in him. In 
manner he is genial and cordial, winning friends 
through a kindly disposition and deference for 
the opinions of others. He is now widely 
known and is deserving of mention with the 
rq)rcsentative citizens of this p;irt of the county. 



A. B. DEXTER. 



-A. B. De.xter, an agriculturist of Greenbush 
townshi]). living on section 9, was bom upon 
this farm, .\pril 27, 1864. His father, Chaun- 
cey De.xter, was a native of Canandagua county, 
New York, and was a son of Knight Dexter, 
one of the old residents of the Empire state. 
Chauncey Dexter went with his father to Ohio 
in his childhood days and lived there for a num- 
ber of years. The grandfather afterwards came 
to Michigan, settling in Clinton county, where 
he bought eighty acres of land covered with 
timber and assisted by his son Chauncey he 
cleared and improved tliat property. The son 
was married here to Miss Lydia Brockum, a 
native of the Empire state, whose father came 
from New 'S'ork to Michigan. Mr. and Mrs. 
Dexter became the parents of three children, 
all of whom reached mature years. The mother, 
however, died when her son, A. B. Dexter, was 
only three years of age. The father, however, 
long survived, passing away on the 21st of 
January, 1886. 

A. B. Dexter spent his youth in his father's 
home and assisted in carrying on the farm until 
the father's death. He succeeded to the owner- 
ship of the old homestead and purcliased his 
brother's share in the estate. His education 
was acquired in the common schools and he 
early became familiar with the best methods of 
tilling the soil and caring for the crops so that 
24 



when he l)egan farming on his own account 
practical experience enabled him to carefully 
conduct his business interests. On the 15th of 
November. 188C, he was united in marriage to 
Miss Ellen Post, a native of Michigan and a 
(laughter of Hiram L. Post, who was born in 
Canada, and became one of the early settlers 
of this state. Mr. and Mrs. Dexter have three 
children, Blanche. Jennie and Roswell B. 

Mr. Dexter has built a good barn on his place 
and has greatly improved the old home property 
until it is now a productive farm, attractive in 
appearance and yielding him a good financial 
return for the care and labor he bestows upon 
it. He and his wife are meml^ers of the 
Methodist Episcopal church of Greenbush and 
he is a stanch republican, having supported the 
party since age gave him the right of franchise. 
He has held the office of township treasurer for 
one term and has been school director for nine 
years. He lielongs to the Maccabees lodge of St. 
Johns and to the Royal Neighbors and is highly 
esteemed in fraternal circles and by the com- 
munity at large for his histor\^ is familiar to 
his fellow townsmen who recognize in him a 
man of genuine worth, deservn'ng of the re- 
gard and esteem of all with whom he has been 
associated. 



AARON W. ROBY. 



.\arnn W. Roby. living on section ^^, Bath 
township, is one of the prosperous farmers and 
.stock-raisers of his section of Clinton county. 
He has a tract of land of one hundred and 
twenty acres, which is productive and well im- 
proved and con.stitutes a desirable farm within 
eight miles of tlie city of Lansing. He is a na- 
tive son of this county, having been bom Febru- 
ar>' 22, 1858, on the fami where he now re- 
sides. His father, Stephen B. Roby, was a 
native of Oneida county. New York, and was 
reared there. On the 25th of Febmary, 1850, 
he wedded Miss Edith Dennis, a native of 
Wayne county. New York, and about 1853 ^^ 
removed to the west, coming to Bath township, 
Clinton county. Here he began life in the 



Z7^^ 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



niulst (if the o-ixen woods and cleared off the 
timlicr from his tract of land, transforming it 
into a productixe farm, eventually owning two 
hundred acres of rich and arable land. Upon 
this place he reared his family and spent his 
last days, being closely identified with agri- 
cultural pursuits througiiout his active business 
career. He passed away October 21. 1901, at 
the age of seventy-eight years, having for more 
than two years survived his wife, who died on 
the 4th of March, 1899, when nearly seventy- 
four vears of age. In their family were seven 
children, three sons and four daughters, of 
whom the four youngest died in infancy. The 
others are still living. Dennis, born .April 15. 
i8t5, owns and operates the old homestead 
farm and is represented elsewhere in this work. 
The sister, Jane, born November 4, 185:, in 
Wayne county. New York, is now the wife of 
Xewman .Vnnis, of Hazlett, Michigan. 

.\aron W. Rob\- was reared to manhood on 
the old homestead and pursued his education in 
the district schools of the neighborhood. He 
remained with his father until the latter's death 
and then took charge of the farm and business. 
I^ater he succeeded to a part of the old home 
propertv and afterward bought forty acres of 
land adjoining. Upon the farm he has erected 
a good residence in modern style of architecture 
and has mnde additions to the old barn and 
otherwise improved the projierty. He has also 
planted fruit, while the fields yield rich har- 
vests of grain. He likewise raises graded stock, 
including horses, cattle, sheep and bogs, and is 
regarded as a most successful farmer and stock- 
raiser, his methods and work being practical so 
that thev pro\c resultant factors in the acquire- 
ment of a desirable property. 

Mr. Roljv was married in Ingham county, in 
the town of Meridian, on the 28th of Januarv', 

1885, to Miss Ella I'oster, whose girlhood days 
were passed in that count)-, where her birth oc- 
curred October 3, 1863. Her father was 
Charles l-'oster. an early settler of Ingham 
countv, who came from England to the United 
States. There were two daughters by this mar- 
riage, lulith, who was bom Novemlier 30. 

1886, and is now in her fourth year at the .Agri- 



cultural College in Lansing. The younger 
daughter. Merle, was Ixirn November 24, 1890. 
and died July 22. 1891. 

Mr. and Mrs. Roby and their daughter are 
all connected with the Masonic fraternity, Mr. 
Rolw holding membership in Okemos lodge, F. 
& .\. M.: Lansing chapter, Xo. 9, R. A. M. ; 
council Xo. 29. R. & S. M.; the commandery 
Xo. 2-,. K. T. : and Saladin Temple of the 
Mystic Shrine at Grand Rapids. Michigan: 
while his wife and daughter are connected with 
the Order of the Eastern Star, Mrs. Roby hav- 
ing served in various offices therein, while at 
this writing she is filling the office of con- 
ductress. Mr. Roby politically has never 
\va\ered in his allegiance to the democracy. 
During a lifelong residence in Clinton county 
be has become widely and favorably known and 
he also has many acquaintances and warm 
friends in Lansing and St. Johns and in other 
])laces of Clinton and Ingham counties. He 
possesses excellent business qualifications and 
his integrity also stands as an unquestioned fact 
in his career. His home is indeed noted for its 
generous and warm-hearted hospitality, where 
good cheer reigns supreme, and he antl his 
estimable wife are most worth v people of the 
communilv. 



SIL.\S W. ROSE. 



Silas W. Rose, living on section 23, Bath 
township, is a substantial fanner whose life 
historx- is indicated in his well improved place 
of one hundred acres, hew citizens have longer 
re-'ided within the Iwrders of this county than 
Mr. Rose, who for sixty-seven years has made 
bis home here, while since 1836 he has lix'ed 
in Michigan. He came to the west from New 
^'ork. bis birth ha\ing occurred in Steuben 
countv of the Empire state on the 20th of 
April, 1833. His father. Silas W. Rose, was 
likewise a native of the county and was a .son 
of Xathan Rose. In the place of his nativity 
Silas W. Rose. Sr.. was reared and as a com- 
])anion and helpmate for life's journey he chose 
Marsfaret Mvrtle. to whom he was luarried in 




s. w . Kt isi-;. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



379 



Stciihen county, where she was also Ixirn. Tliey 
tlieii began their domestic hie uiJon a farm in 
the county where they hved for a number of 
years, or until after the birth of seven chil- 
dren. In 1836 they came to Michigan, locating 
first in XA'ashtenaw countv. and in the .spring of 
1838 removed to Clinton county, where the 
fatlier entered land from the government, he- 
coming owner of about three hundred acres. 
He took up his abode upon this place, which 
was a wild timber tract in the midst of the 
forest, the nearest neighbor being three miles 
distant. Only here and there would the smoke 
from a little cabin Ije seen, giving evidence that 
a clearing had been made and a home e.stablished 
in the woods. Few roads had been laid out 
and there were long distances between the clear- 
ings where a small field of grain would give 
proof of the enterprise of some hardy pioneer 
settler. Mr. Ro.se at once began to cut away 
the timber and clear the land, the family living 
in a log cabin. Here he passed away in 184 1 
but was survived for a number of years by his 
widow, who carefully reared her children. 

Silas \V. Rose, Jr., is one of the three surviv- 
ing members of a family of nine. He was 
reared to manhood in Clinton county and fol- 
lowing his father's death assisted his mother in 
carr}-ing on the home farm, to a part of which 
he afterward succeeded. He is largely a self- 
educated as well as a self-made man. having 
continually broadened his knowledge since at- 
taining his majority through experience and 
ol).servation so that he has now a practical busi- 
ness education. He was married in Bath town- 
ship. September 11. 1853, to Miss Betsy 
Fletcher, whose birth occurred in Ontario 
county. New York, her father \ye\ug Isaac 
Fletcher, of the Empire state, who removed to 
Michigan about 1838. Her brother. George W. 
Fletcher, is one of the prominent farmers of 
Bath township, who is represented elsewhere in 
this work. 

Mr. and Mrs. Rose began their domestic life 
upon the farm where they still reside. Their 
pioneer home has lieen re])laced by a good, sub- 
stantial residence and he has also built two 
barns, has planted an orchard and ornainental 



trees and has developed a nice property. Two 
children came to add life and light to the house- 
hold : Mrs. Esther Murray, a widow, living in 
Bath township, whose daughter, Rose C, is the 
wife of .\lton Church, a farmer of this town- 
ship; and George .\.. who is married and has 
a daughter. Grace, at home. George A. Rose 
lives upon the old home farm. 

Politically Silas W. Rose is a republican. He 
was reared in the faith of the whig paiiy but 
about the time he attained his majority the new 
republican party sprang into existence and he 
has since been one of its stalwart advocates. He 
w as elected and served t< ir several terms as high- 
way commissioner and for three terms has filled 
the office of justice of the peace, has likewise 
been township treasurer, has been a member of 
the school board for many years and has fre- 
quently served as a delegate to the county con- 
ventinns of his party. In the discharge of his 
duties he is ever faithful, prompt and reliable, 
and his energy has been manifest in his official 
service as well as private life. Mrs. Rose be- 
longs to the Baptist churcii and Mr. Rose to 
the Odd l'"e11ows lodge at Bath. He has been 
a ])ast grand in the order, has lieen honored witli 
all of its chairs and has Ijeen its representative 
to the grand lodge. .\ resident of the state for 
sixty-seven years and of Clinton county for 
si.xty-five years he is one of the few remaining 
settlers of that early period and his mind bears 
the impress of the pioneer development of the 
state and forms a connecting link between the 
past and the ])resent. He has seen the great 
forests felled and the fields cleared and culti- 
vated, has seen the log cabins replaced with 
fine fami residences and little sheds for stock 
by commodious and substantial barns, has wit- 
nessed the introduction of the railroad, the tele- 
graph and the telephone and also the interurban 
lines, until through the work of transformation 
the county to-day bears little resemblance to the 
district to which he came in his early boyhood 
with his father's family to establish a Home in 
the midst of the forest. In early life he drove 
ox-teams in the fields and through the sur- 
rounding districts. .\t all times he has been 
a man of strict integrity, true to the principles 



38o 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



of honorable manhond and the teacliings of the 
Odd Fellows society and his worth as a citizen 
and business man is acknowledged liy all. 



DARirS T. EDDY. 



Darius T. Eddy, who is a member of the 
fimi of Eddy P)rothers, who is conducting a 
general store at Eagle and also dealing in wood 
and coal, was liorn in Portland. Michigan, on 
the J4th of .\pril. 1858. His paternal grand- 
father. Stephen Eddy, came to Eagle township. 
Clinton Cduntw from (ienesee county. New 
York, in the year 1837. and entered a number 
of tracts of land from the government, includ- 
ing the farms now owned by W. F. Kerr, S. F. 
Avery, W. L. Tallman. John Pennington and 
Harriet Avery. Stephen Eddy was one of the 
most progressive men of an early day. He was 
known as a great fisherman and as a pioneer 
settler he cnntributed in substantial measure to 
the e;irly upbuilding and progress of his part 
of the state. He was the first white man buried 
in the township, his remains l^eing interred on 
his own farm, where the grave is yet to be seen. 
His son. Jeremiah Eddy, coming from the Em- 
pire state to Michigan, settled in Eagle town- 
shi]) and established what was known as the 
Grand River Hotel on Looking Glass river. He 
thus fiirmed a wide acquaintance through enter- 
taining the traveling public for many years but 
about a year prior to his death he removed to 
Portland, Michigan, where he died in 1861, at 
the age of sixty-six years. His wife, Serepta 
Jones, has also passed away. 

Their son, Hai-\'ey Eddy, father of our sub- 
ject, was born in New York, and came to Eagle 
township in 1837. He cut the first ten acres 
of timber in the township and for many years 
was closely associated w ith the pioneer develop- 
ment of this part of the state, but eventually he 
removed to Portland. He died in 1887, at the 
age of .seventy-four years, while his wife passed 
away in 1872, at the age of forty-nine years. 
She tore the maiden name of Marian Way. and 
was a native of Canada. In their familv were 



six children: L<jrenzo, who resides at Mat- 
tawau. .Michigan; New'ton J., of Portland, 
Michigan: Ida M., the wife of Fred Wilson, of 
Otsego, this state; Darius T. ; Thomas H., who 
is living in Eagle; and George W., who makes 
hi- Imnie in Otsego, Michigan. 

Darius T. Eddy acquired his education in 
the district schools and in the public schools of 
Portland, Michigan. His mother died when 
he was fourteen years of age and he soon after- 
ward began earning his own living as an em- 
Ijliiye in the woolen mills at Portland, Michigan, 
where he remained for a year. He afterward 
located on the home fann and attended school 
during the winter seasons until twenty-two 
years of age. He then became telegraph oper- 
ator and station agent at Eagle, and afterward 
at McBride. Michigan, for the Pare Marquette 
Railroad Company, acting in that capacity for 
a jieriod of twelve years. In 1892 he embarked 
in his present business in Eagle as a partner of 
his brother. Thomas H. Eddy, who for eight 
_\ears prexious had been connected with mer- 
cantile ])ursuits here. The finn of Eddy Broth- 
ers was then established and they ha\e since 
cajjably and successfully conducted a general 
store and ha\e dealt in wood and coal. Their 
patronage is extensive and is constantly increas- 
ing. 

On the nth of June. 1883, Mr. Eddy was 
united in marriage to Miss Elsie B. Skidmore, 
of Grand Ledge, Michigan, who died in 1897, 
at the age of thirty-seven years, leaving one 
child, Hilah V.. who is a teacher in the public 
schools. I'or his second wife Mr. Eddy mar- 
ried Ida M. Sadler, who died leaving two sons, 
Homer D. T. and Chester A. In 1904 Mr. 
luldv married Miss .\.lma McCrumb, of Eagle 
township. 

Mr. Eddy has belonged to the Masonic fra- 
ternity since 1892 and is also connected with 
the Gleaners and the Loyal .\mericans. In 
politics he is a democrat and has filled several 
\illage offices although he has never aspired to 
ix)litical prefemient. He started out in life 
without capital but grailually has worked his 
wav upward, brooking no obstacle that could 
be o\ercomc li\- ])ersistent puqwse and energy. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



381 



He is now regardetl as a sulistantial citizen and 
one of tlie ca])al)le hnsiness men of his section 
(if till.' cnunt\-. In manner lie is genial, cour- 
teons and Dlilii^inj^- and wliether in hnsiness or 
social relations he wins the resiiect and trust of 
tho>e with will mi he cmnes in cmitact. 



HOMER WATSON. 



lldmer Watson, who after many years of 
active c<innection with agricultural interests is 
now living retired in St. Jolins. is numhered 
among the wurthy citizens that New 'S'ork has 
furnished to Clinton countw llis hirth occurred 
tliere in Otsego countw May i 1. 183J. and his 
jiarents were John and Harriet (Reed) Wat- 
son, the fdrmer a nati\e of Vermont and the 
latter of Xew "S'ork. The father si)ent his boy- 
hood in the east and after his marriage came, 
in ii^,i,V to .Michigan, .settling in Oakland 
county, where he carried on farming until his 
death at tlie age of fifty-two years. He was 
town clerk for fourteen _\ears and w;is active 
in supijort of measures for the g'eneral good. In 
his early life he followed teaching. His wife 
passed away in 1876, at the age of seventy-two. 
John Watson had two lirothers and three sisters, 
wlio came to Oakland county, Michigan, where 
they resided continuously from 1832 imtil they 
were called to their final rest. I'nto John and 
Harriet Watson were Ixim six children, tliose 
living heing Ihmier and Oscar, the latter a resi- 
dent of Kalkaska county. Michigan. Those de- 
ceased are .\lvin. who spent his active life in 
Oakland couiitx and died in Bay City, Michi- 
gan: .\lhcrt. whose death occurred in Clinton 
Cfiunty ; Lucy, who also died in Clinton county; 
and Jesse C. who passed away in Gnuid Rapids. 

Momer Watson ohtaine<l a count ry-sch(X)] 
education and spent his youth upon his father's 
farm in (Oakland county until he reached tiie 
age of twenty-five years, when he removed to 
01i\e townsliip, Clinton county, where he re- 
sided until 1858. In that year he bought one 
liunih'ed and sixty acres of land on section 24 
and although it was covere<l with a dense 
growth of timber he at once began its cultiva- 



tion and continued its improxcinenl until the 
early p;irt of 1865. It was on the 28th of 
l'>bruary oi that year that he resix>nded to his 
country's call for aid, enlisting in Company I, 
Twenty-fourth Michigan Infantry. He was 
in the service for four months ;niil w;is mustered 
out on the 28th of June, having d(jne dutv ;it 
Camp Butler, S])ringticld. Illinois. 

I'ollowing his return to t'lintoii countv Mr. 
Watson was engaged in fanning in Olive tow n- 
shi]) and in i8()(') he removed to P.ingham town- 
ship, having sold his fann ])roi)ert\'. He tiien 
bought one hundred and sixty acres on sections 
34 and 35. It was a tract of wild land, the 
timber having been cleared from onlv ;i few 
acres, but he at once began the further cultiva- 
tion and impro\ement of the place. He Ixiught 
additional land from time to time and specu- 
lated quite extensively in farm jiroperty, buy- 
ing and selling as o])])ortunity afforded and re- 
alizing on each imestment a good financial re- 
turn. He seemed almost intuitively to know 
when land \alnes would rise and his laljors w'ere 
crowned with ;i very pleasing measure of suc- 
cess. Having accpiired a desindile com])etence 
he removed in 1891 to St. Johns, where he built 
a nice home and has since lived retired, enjoy- 
ing life amid pleasant surroundings. 

On the 1 2th of January, 1834, Mr. Watson 
was m.'irried to .Miss Lura S. Devereaux, a 
d'lnghter of Seymour and Martha ( Carr) 
Devereaux, of Oakland county, Michigan, in 
which county they lived and died. Her father 
w;is ;i farmer by occn])ation and jjassed away 
in i8f/) when Mrs. Watson was but three years 
of age. His wife died in 1897, ''^ ^'^^ ^S^ ^^ 
seventy-five years. In their family were eight 
children, of whom si.x are yet living: Mrs. 
Watson, Seymour, Theodore, .\llen, Onson and 
b'lizabeth, the last named lieing the wife of 
John Woodhull. Mr. and Mrs. Watson have 
five children: .\nielia, the deceased wife of 
Samuel Mells: Hiram, who is living on the 
homestead fami in Bingham township; Iila B., 
the wife of Henr>- C. Stevens, of Bingham 
township: Hattie E., the wife of John F. Meri- 
hcw , of Olive township: and Frank .\., who is 
living on the old homesteail. 



382 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



Mr. Watson has been a .stanch advocate of 
the republican party and its principles from 
his boyhood days and has been a member of the 
Ma.sonic fraternity since 1872. The rest which 
is now vouchsafed to him has been well earned 
and has come as the direct result of his persist- 
ent labor and thoroughness in his business. He 
and his wife celebrated their golden wedding 
January 12, 1903. having for a half centurj' 
traveled life's journey together. They are a 
most esteemed and worthy couple of St. Johns, 
where the circle of their friends is almost co- 
extensive with the circle of their acquaintance. 



A. A. KILLAM. 



A. A. Killam, who is serving as highway 
commissioner and who owns and cultivates a 
farm of sixty acres on section 28. Lebanon 
township, was born in Calluam county. Michi- 
gan, Januarv 3. 1860. His father. Philander 
Killam. came to this state with his father and 
the family, their home being established in Cal- 
houn countv among its first settlers. Philander 
Killam was married in that county to Miss 
Margaret .Smith, a native of ^lichigan. He 
afterward removed to Clinton count\- but is 
now a resident of Gratiot county. 

A. \. Killam was reared in (iratiot county, 
where he received fair common-school advan- 
tages and was thus well equipped for life's 
])ractical and resjionsible duties. Desiring to 
make farm work his life activity, when he had 
managed to ac(|uire a little capital he invested 
this in fortv acres of land, constituting the nu- 
cleus of his present farm. He further com- 
pleted his arrangements for a home by bis mar- 
riage in Montcalm county in the fall of 1884. 
to Miss Carrie ^L Beck, who was born and 
reared there. They began their domestic life 
upon the farm and he resolutely set to work to 
imjirove and cultivate the fields. He has since 
added twenty acres to the original tract so that 
he now has a good farm of sixty acres, which 
he has brought to a hi.gh state of cultivation, 
.Among the buildings on the place are a neat 



residence, good granary, barns and various 
sheds, all of which stand as monuments to the 
enterprise of Mr. Killam, having been erected 
by him. He has also divided the place into 
fields of convenient size by well kept fences and 
has cleared his land of stumps and stones and 
altogether has made his fields ver}- ]iroductive. 
Unto ^Ir. and Mrs. Killam has been born 
one son. Lee, who married Marceline Jarvis 
and lives upcm a farm of thirty-si.x acres near 
his father. In his political adherence Mr. Kil- 
lam is a republican and in the spring of 1905 
was elected highway commissioner, in which 
capacity he has done good service in repairing 
the roads, putting in bridges, in grading, ditch- 
ing and otherwise improving the public high- 
wavs. .\side from this office he has held no 
position of political preferment as he has 
alwavs desired to concentrate his energies upon 
his business affairs. Having lived in this sec- 
tion of the .state throughout his entire life he 
has !)een a witness of its development and sub- 
stantial improvement and has delighted in the 
]3rogress that has been made for he is a public- 
spirited citizen ever loyal to the general good. 



T. D. ROBY. 



T. D. Roby. whose home is on section 33, 
Bath township, not far from the Hazlett post- 
office, devotes his time and energies to agri- 
cultural pursuits with the result that success 
follows close a])plication. earnest purpo.se and 
persistent and honorable effort. His birth oc- 
curred .\pril iQ. T855, on the old homestead 
farm of his father. S. B. Roby, one of the early 
settlers of this part of the state, of whom 
further mention is made on another page of this 
volume. 

Xo event of special importance occurred to 
van- the routine of farm life for J. D. Roby 
in his Ixjyhood and youth. He worked in the 
fields as his age and strength permitted, follow- 
ing the plow when but a young lad. In die 
winter .seasons he attended the cominon schools, 
while in the summer months he continued his 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



383 



work in the fields, his tliorou.sfh and practical 
training enabling him to carefully conduct his 
own business affairs when at the time of his 
father's death he succeeded to a ])art of the old 
homestead. He has since devoted his attention 
untiringly to his agricultural interests and now 
owns and o]ierates one hundred and eighteen 
acres constituting a good farm on section ^J. 
Bath township. The fields were later fenced 
and well tilled and e\enthing about the place 
is kept in good condition, showing the careful 
supervision of a painstaking and practical 
owner whose efforts are also prosperous. 

On the 1 2th of December. 1878, Mr. Ruby 
was married to Miss Olive Tyler, who was born 
in Bath township. Februan,' 25, 1858. and was 
reared and educated in the same locality. They 
have become the parents of three children : Fred 
C, Ijorn May 28. 1880. who assists his father 
in carrying on the home farm; Maud E., born 
April 15, 1882. who is a graduate of the 
County Normal School and is a teacher in the 
schools of this locality; and Anson J., born 
Octol)er 24. 1885. who also aids in the oper- 
ation of the home farm. The family home is a 
neat residence, standing now in the midst of 
well tilled fields, which ]\Ir. Roby aided in 
clearing and cultivating. In fact the excellent 
appearance of bis farm is an indication of his 
life of well directed energ\-. 

Politically Mr. Roby is a prohibitionist and 
prior to his affiliation with that party he gave 
his support to the democracy. He has. how- 
ever, never sought or desired office, preferring 
to concentrate his energies upon his business 
interests and his home and fraternal relations. 
Both he and his wife are members of the 
Methodist Episcopal church and he is a Mason, 
belonging to Okenios lodge. V. & .\. M., ami 
Lansing chapter. R. .\. M. His son Fred like- 
wise belongs to the Okemos lodge, while the 
daughter is a member of the Eastern Star, and 
Mr. Roby and sons are members of the Knights 
of the Maccaliees. His entire life has Ijeen 
spent u]ion the farm which is yet' his place of 
residence and which is therefore endeared to 
him through the associations of his boyhood 
• lays. He has witnessed much of the growth 



and development of this part of the state and at 
the same time has been an industrious and 
frugal man who has done bis full share in the 
work of reclaiming the land for the uses of 
civilization and making the place a productive 
pro])crt\. lie is a stanch believer in the tem- 
perance movement and for a number of years 
has been identified with the prohibition party, 
lie is esteemed for his genuine worth and 
tidclitv to his jjrinciples. and he antl his family 
stand high socially in the communitv. 



CHARLES E. FORWARD. 

Charles E. Forward, following the occupa- 
tion oi farming on section 4, Watertown town- 
ship, is a native of Onondaga county, New 
^'ork. l)orn October 22, 1862. His paternal 
grandfather, deorge Forward, was a native of 
luigland. who. coming to America at an early 
age followed farming throughout his business 
career in the states of New York. Illinois and 
Michigan. In his f.imily were nine children, 
all of whom are yet living. George and William, 
Mrs. M. A. Baird. who are residents of Illinois: 
bVanklin, of Watertown, Michigan ; Edwin, of 
Kansas : Charles E. ; Louis and Mrs. J. Bunker, 
who are also li\-ing in Kansas ; and Adelbert. 
of Eaton Rapids. Michigan. His son. Frank- 
lin Forward, was b(;rn in the Empire state and 
when thirty years of age took up his abode in 
\'an Buren county. Michigan. By trade he is 
a car])enter and in more recent years has fol- 
lowed agricultural pursuits in connection with 
building operations. He has built as many as 
sixtv-five good barns and other buildings in 
Clinton county, where he now resides, many 
structures thus giving evidence of his handi- 
work and skill. He has built two fine homes at 
different times for bis own occupancy and is 
now engaged in building a handsome residence 
for his son Charles. He married Miss Harriet 
Stalker, also a native of the Emi)ire state, and 
a daughter of Henry Stalker, of New York, 
who spent his last years in Michigan. L'nto 
him and his wife have been born a son and 



384 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



(laughter. Charles E. and Clara, the latter the 
wife of William Foreman, of Riley township. 

Charles E. Forward is indeljted to the dis- 
trict schools for the educational privileges he 
enjoyed in youth. He began farming on the 
old homestead and has since de\oted his ener- 
gies to agricultural pursuits. He took up his 
ahcxle on his present farm on section 4. Water- 
town township, in 1901. ])urchasing eigthy-five 
acres of land. Here he has since erected good 
buildings and at the ])resent time a fine resi- 
dence is l)eing built for him b)- his father. 
Everything about his place is modern in its 
equipments and in his work he is thoroughly 
progressive and enterprising, basing his de- 
pendence for success upon unremitting dili- 
gence and energ}-. 

On the 9th of .\\)n\. 1884, Mr. Forward was 
united in marriage to Miss .'Mice E. Goodsell. 
of Watertown township, a daughter of James 
anil Delia Goodsell. They now have two chil- 
dren, Bernice and Charles Maurice. In his 
jjolitical affiliations Mr. Forward is a democrat 
and for one term has ser\ed as township clerk 
but otherwise has neither sought nor held 
office. Fraternaliv he is connected with the 
Maccabees. Throughout the period of his resi- 
dence in Michigan he has carefully directed his 
business affairs with thorough regard to the 
rights of others in every business transaction 
and at the same time winning creditable suc- 
cess through his unfaltering diligence. 



HIR.\M F. JONES. 



Hiram F. Jones, an energetic, jjractical and 
progressive agriculturist living on section 29. 
Eagle town.ship. is a native of Attica, Xew 
York, born on the 24th of March, 1833. His 
father. George \\'. Jones, was a native of Mas- 
sachusetts, and a son of Sargent Jones, who 
came to Michigan the year after the arrival 
of George \\\ Jones in Clinton countv. He 
located in Eagle townsliip. wiiere be devoted 
his energies to agricultunil pursuits. \\'hile in 
the east, however, he liad been a sailor. He was 



a native of Salem. Massachusetts, and his last 
days were spent in this county, where he died 
two vears after his arrival in the middle west. 

George W. Jones came to Michigan in the 
spring of 1839. settling on .secti<m 31, Eagle 
township. The same year he made a claim of 
one hundred and sixty acres in the midst of the 
green woods, building thereon a shanty and 
ciivered it with basswood troughs. There he 
remained fur manv vears but eventually sold 
that farm in 1876. In the meantime, howe\'er, 
lie bad added ti> it a tract of eighty acres and 
had cleared altogether one hundred and thirty 
acres of the farm, placing it under a high state 
of culti vatic m. On selling the property he took 
up his abode at Grand Ledge, where be died fin 
the 1 2th of March, 1877, in the se\'entietb year 
I if his age. His wife survi\ed him for four- 
teen years, passing away at the advanced age 
of eighty -one years. She was a native of the 
state of New York and bore the maiden name 
of Hannah Xiles. They tra\eled life's jour- 
ney together for many years and she was a 
de\oted helpmate and com]ianion to her hus- 
band. In their family were ten children, tho.se 
still living lieing: Luc}'. the wife of ^"ates 
Bailey, of Charlotte, Michigan : Martha, the 
wife of John Burch, of Grand Ledge, this 
state; Mary, the wife of Cyrus Compton and 
a resident of Charlotte. Michigan; Dexter U.. 
of the .same place; Harriet, the wife of Thomas 
Toaz, of firand Ledge; Xancy, the wife of 
James Spencer, of that ])lace; and Hiram F. 
Those who have passed away are: Lucina. 
who became the wife of Peter Blake and dietl 
at the age of seventy years; George, who died 
at the age of sixty years: and Dexter, who died 
in infancy. 

Hiram I'. Jones IkuI but little opportunity of 
ac(|uiring an education, ])nrsuing his studies in 
a log schoolhouse after the primitive manner of 
the times. However, exi)erience and observa- 
tion have brought him ])ractical knowledge. His 
training at farm labor was not meager for at 
an early age he became an active assistant in 
the work of the home farm. In 1833 he ]nir- 
chased his present farm but n-mained at his 
father's home, where lie worked until he was 




MRS. MIRIAM A. JONES. 




HIRAM F. [ONES. 



i 



PAST AXU PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



389 



al.Ie to i)a\' for liis land. He now owns one 
hundred and eighty-seven acres, constituting a 
\alual)le property on section 29. Eagle town- 
shi]). All this Mr. Jones has cleared, chopping 
away the timber from the first twelve acres 
fifty-two years ago. He has cleared and im- 
])roved land to the e.xtent of one hundred .'nid 
tliirty acres, has erected modern buildings and 
in fact has a well equipped property, constitut- 
ing one of tlie model farms of Clinton county. 

On the J/th of September. 1S57, Mr. Jones 
seciu'ed a companion and helpmate for life's 
journey, being on that date married to Miss 
Miriam A. l'>aile\'. a daughter of James Pailev. 
of I'lirtland. bmia county. Michigan. Her 
father was a native of Yorkshire. England, and 
was married there to Miss Sovina I-^tchforth, 
also a native of that locrdity. They came to 
Michigan when Mrs. Jones was six years of 
age. settling in Eaton county, whence they 
afterward went to Battle Creek, spending five 
years there, the father devoting his time to 
teaching music. 1 le then purchased land in 
that localil}- but sulisetpiently sold out and 
lx)Ught one hundred and eighteen acres on sec- 
tion 32, Eagle township, Clinton county. He 
made his home thereon for nine years and at 
the same time engaged in teaching. .\t length 
he disjiosed of that property and bought a farm 
of one hundred and eighty-three acres in Port- 
land townshi]). bmia county, whereon he li\ed 
for nine years, when he once more sold out, 
spending his remaining days in the village of 
Portland, where he died at the age of seventv- 
seven \ears. His wife passed away at the age of 
sixty-nine years. They were the ])arents of nine 
chihiren : Ephraim, who is living at Charlotte. 
Michig.'in: Mrs. Jones: Cyrus, who is in the 
P.lack Hills, South Dakota; Jo.seph X., of Lan- 
sing; and James, of San Diego, California. 
Those deceased are .\senath; Jesse; Manasseh : 
and Mary, the wife of James Webster. Mr. 
and Mrs. Jones ha\e become the parents of 
three children: Jesse, of E<'igle township; 
Mamie, of the same town.ship; and Minnie, the 
wife of Esmond Frost, of Eagle township. 

Politically Mr. Jones is iuflependent, voting 
for men and measures rather than for party. 



He has been township treasurer for one term 
but has preferred that others should hold office, 
while he gives his attention to his private busi- 
ness interests whereby he has become one of 
the substrmtial citizens of his community. 



W'lI.lJ AM II. WOODBCRY 

William H. W'oodbury, proprietor of the St. 
Johns Steam Laundry, is a native of Grafton, 
Ohio, born Februaiy 23. 1857. It is definitely 
known that the Woodbury family was founded 
in America by two brothers who came to the 
new world several generations ago. One set- 
tled in the Western Reserve of Ohio, while the 
other established his home in Vemiont and it 
was from the latter that William H. Wood- 
bury is descended. He is the only child of 
Simon and Man- ( Wales) Wa^dbun'. the for- 
mer a native of Brattleboro. \ erniont. and the 
latter of Milford. Mas.sachusetts. The father 
in early life was a railroad man. continuing in 
that service for t\\ entv vears and was conductor 
on the first freight train running between Graf- 
ton and Toledo. Ohio. He was also in the rail- 
road service in southern Kentucky for some 
time, but subsequently devoted his energies to 
farming. He died in 1882, while his wife 
l)as.sed away in 187S. at the age of forty -five 
years. She was a daughter of .Amos Wales, 
of Milford, Massachusetts. 

Williiini H. \\'oodbury. having acquired his 
education in the district schools of Victor town- 
ship, spent his early life on the home fann, 
which his father had purchased in 1836 and 
which William H. Woodbury had assisted in 
cleuing from the timber and in developing it 
into a ])roducti\e iiro|)ert\-. In 1879 this farm 
was sold and he remo\efl with his father to 
Isal-jclia county, Michigan, where he again en- 
gaged in general agricultural pursuits and also 
conducted a produce store at Mount Pleasant. 
.Subsequently he returned to Clinton county, 
taking uj) his alxnie in [884 in Victor township, 
where he rented land for four years. In 1889 
he l)ought a farm in Bingham township, which 



390 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



he continued to cultivate for fifteen years, after 
wliich he spent fourteen months, in 1902-3, 
in the rural mail service. In December, 1903, 
he purchased the St. Johns Steam Laundry 
from Frank Bush and has continued its oper- 
ation without interruption. He has installed 
new machinery to the value of several hundred 
dollars and his business has become doubled in 
volume since he took possession. The laundrj' 
is conducted after the manner of first-class enter- 
prises of this character and the good work 
turned out is a sure guarantee of a continued 
patronage. 

On the T6th of May. 187S, Mr. Woodbury 
was united in marriage to Miss Mina Suther- 
land, a daughter of Emaline V. Sutherland, of 
Maple Rapids. Their children are Mary, 
Vesta and LeRoy W. Mr. Woodbury is a 
member of the Maccabees tent and the Royal 
.\rcanum. In his Inisiness life he is industrious 
and painstaking and since coming to St. Johns 
he has prospered in his chosen line of work be- 
cause of his close application, his capability and 
the excellent service which he gives to the 
public. 



L. W. CURTIS. 



L. W. Ciu'tis. who for a quarter of a century 
engaged in farming, dates his residence in 
Michigan from 1855 and has lived in Clinton 
county since 1870. He was born in Con- 
necticut and reared and married in Ohio, the 
lady of his choice being Miss Harriet A. Wooll, 
a native of England, who spent her girlhood 
days in Ohio. Mr. Curtis was a carpenter and 
joiner and was identified with building pur- 
suits in his early days, also to some extent after 
his removal to Michigan. He came with his 
family to this state in 1855, settling first in 
Clinton county, but soon afterward removed to 
Shiawassee county, where he lived for ten or 
eleven years. There he cleared a tract of land 
and opened up a fann but eventually sold tliat 
property and returned to Clinton county, taking 
up his abode where his son now resides. He 
purchased an impro\ed place, owning eighty 



acres of land on which he erected good build- 
ings and carried forw^ard the work of develop- 
ment and progress along all lines. He made 
a good farm, spending his last days thereon, 
his death occurring about 1898. His wife sur- 
\ived him for two years. 

L. \^^ Curtis, their only son, succeeded to the 
ownership of the old home farm and has since 
devoted his energies to agricultural pursuits. 
He alsd built the elevator at Elsie and in the 
grain trade became associated with G. B. Briggs 
as a partner. They have built up a good busi- 
ness and in connection with the purchase and 
sale of grain also handled coal, tile, brick, lime 
and eggs. Their patronage has become e.x- 
tensive and is drawn not only from Elsie but 
also from a large surrounding district. 

Mr. Curtis was married in Owosso, in 1877, 
to ]\Iiss Julia S. Lamson, a native of New 
York, who was brought to Michigan in her 
girlhood days and was reared in Elsie. Her 
father was Rufus Lamson, a resident of this 
part of the state, fonnerly of New York. Mr. 
and Mrs. Curtis have become the parents of 
a son and daughter, Byron L. and Vera May. 
The parents are members of the Methodist 
Episcopal church, in which ^Ir. Curtis has 
served as treasurer and tnistee, proving a cap- 
able and faithful officer and also an interested 
worker in various departments of the church 
activity. He is likewise a member of the Ma- 
sonic fraternity of Elsie and is a trustee and 
treasurer of the lodge, while he and his wife are 
connected with the Order of the Eastern Star. 
His political allegiance has been given to the 
republican party since age conferred upon him 
the right of franchise and he has been elected 
and ser\ed on the school board, the cause of 
education finding in him a wann friend who 
champions every progressive measure for the 
advancement of the work of public instruction 
here. In the welfare and improvement of the 
city Mr. Curtis has taken a deep and helpful 
part and his labors have been of substantial 
benefit to Elsie. Moreover in his business career 
he has made consecutive progress, owing to his 
recognition and utilization of opportunity. His 
persistency of purpose and energy have been 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



391 



strong jyiints in his career and have led him 
from a Ininil)ie financial position to one of 
affluence. 



JOHN McKIBBIN. 



John McKil)bin. residing on section 2, Bath 
township, is widely known by his numerous 
friends as "Uncle John." a term which is one 
of respect and admiration for he has endeared 
himself to many who have known him during 
long years of residence in this part of the state. 
In his farm work he has prospered anfl he now 
owns and operates two hundred acres of land. 
He dates his residence in Michigan since 185 1 
and in Clinton county since 1854. He is, howr- 
ever. a native of the Emerald isle, having been 
born in county Cavan. January 26. 1830. His 
father, Samuel McKibbin, was also bom in 
Ireland and was of Scotch parentage. He wed- 
ded Miss Mary Cox, who was likewise of 
Scotch descent and Ix)th were reared in the 
Protestant faith and became members of the 
Presbyterian church. About 1832 or 1833 
Samuel McKibbin emigrated with his family 
to the new world and first located in Steuben 
county, Xew York, making his home in the 
township of Howard, where he bought fifty 
acres of land. Later, however, he extended the 
lx)undaries of this property by additional pur- 
chase and there carried on general agricultural 
pursuits for a number of years. In the early 
'50s. however, he disposed of his property in 
the Empire state and came to Michigan, settling 
first in Washtenaw county, his home being in 
the town of Superior near Ypsilanti. There he 
actively carried on farming pursuits for a num- 
ber of years, after which he purchased the farm 
that is now occupied by his son John on section 
2, Bath township, Clinton county. He com- 
menced here with forty acres of land and to 
its improvement and development he devoted 
his energies until the time of his death, which 
occurred in 1859. His wife, long sun'iving 
him, departed this life in July, 1897, ^t the ad- 
vanced age of ninety-four years. 
25 



John McKi1)l)in of this review is one of a 
family of seven sons and three daughters. He 
came here with his father and helped to im- 
prove and cultivate the farm. Eventually he 
bought two Iiundred acres of land, which he 
has cleared and transformed into richly pro- 
ductive fields, annually returning golden har- 
vests for the care and labor bestowed upon 
them. In all nf his work he has been practical, 
economical and yet enterprising, and his laters 
have been guided by a sound judginent and keen 
discrimination that has made his work of value 
in the development of an excellent property. 
His sister Jane resided with him for a number 
of years, acting as his housekeeper until her 
death, in June, 1905, when she passed away at 
the age of sixty-four years. She owned the 
home and forty acres of land. 

Mr. McKil)bin of this review has been a 
lifelong republican, casting a ballot for John 
C. Fremont in 1856. the first presidential 
nominee of the republican party. He has never 
failed to vote for its candidates since that time 
and is deeply interested in the success of the 
party but has never sought or desired oftice. 
though he has ser\'ed on the school board. A 
man of sterling character and worth he has 
the confidence and esteem of all and as one of 
the few remaining early settlers of Clinton 
countv well deserves mention in this volume. 



FRANK C. SWAIN. 



Frank C. Swain, who owns and operates a 
farm on section 21, Bingham township, is a na- 
tive of Port Henr\-, Essex county. New York, 
bom on the 30th of August. 1856. his parents 
l>eing Orlando B. and Harriet E. Swain. The 
father's birth occurred at Port Henrj-. New 
York. Januan- 21, 183 1. and there he spent his 
boyh(X)d days. In 1857 he came to Michigan, 
settling in Clinton county, where he opened up 
a blacksmith shop on a farm. He conducted 
the business for a number of years and used his 
savings for the purchase of farm land, on 
which he finally took up his abode and began 



39-' 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



clearing it of tlie timber wliich grew tliere in 
c<)nsi(leral)le density. By liard and unremit- 
ting' toil he managed to clear away the trees 
and brush aufl ]M"ei)ared the land for cultiva- 
tion and as the years passed Iiy he acquired 
o\'er three hundred acres of the finest farm 
land in the countx'. However, the hardships 
and trials endured in clearing and improving 
the farm were too rigorous for his constitution 
and his health gave way, so that he had to 
leave the active work of the farm to his two 
sons, Frank and Fred. 

Orland(^ B. Swain was married in 1855 to 
Miss Harriet Conn, a nati\e of New York, 
who proved a very helpful and devoted heljj 
mate to him. She was always cheerful, bravely 
meeting the conditions of frontier life during 
the early da}s of their residence in Michigan. 
Death, however, separated them February 20, 
1889, when Mrs. Swain passed away, leaving 
two sons and a daughter to comfort the be- 
reaved husband and father. Mr. Swain was 
always interested in the improvement and 
])rogress of his county and in as far as possible 
co-operated in measures for the general good. 
He was the last surviving charter member of 
St. Johns lodge. No. 105, F. & A. M., and he 
likewise belonged to the chapter and council 
and to St. Johns commandery, Xo. 24, K. T. 
.\lthough he was in failing health for a num- 
ber of vears death did not claim him until mid- 
night of July 4, 1904. His death v. as a great 
blow to his family and came as a sudden shock 
to his host of friends throughout the county. 
The funeral services were in charge of the Ma- 
sonic bodies, the Knights Templar conducting 
the services. 

Frank C. Swain was brought by his parents 
to Clinton county when but fourteen months 
old and acquired his education in the common 
scIkxiIs and St. Johns high school. He always 
remained upon the homestead to assist his 
father and did much toward developing the 
])resent beautiful home. .As a companion and 
helpmate for life's journey he chose Miss .\r- 
villa Wixson. whom he married November 23. 
1 88 1. She is a daughter of Grover B. and 
l'".llen (Trowbridge) Wixson, of Olive town- 



ship, pioneer people of the county. Both Mr. 
and Mrs. Swain liave the warm regard of 
many friends. ha\"ing long lived in the count\' 
where their genuine worth of character has 
gained them high esteem. Mr. Swain has also 
been actixe in Masonic circles, being a member 
of St. Johns lodge, Xo. 105, F. and A. ^I. : St. 
Johns chapter. X'o. 45, R. A. M. ; St. Johns 
council. R. and S. \l. ; and St. Johns com- 
mandery. Xo. 24. K. T. : while lx)th he and 
his wife are members of Radiant chapter, X'^o. 
79, O. E. S. She is likewise connected with 
the \MTite Shrine and is also an actix'e worker 
in the Circle of King's Daughters in St. Johns. 
Fred Swain, brother of Frank C. Swain, was 
liiirn .\])ril 10. 1861. completed his education 
in St. Johns high school and has always been 
associated with our subject in the work of the 
farm whereon he. too, maintains his residence. 
He was married February 21, 1884, to Miss 
Minnie Squair, a daughter of Francis and De- 
lilah Squair. of Ionia, Michigan. Her parents 
were natives of Canada, whence they removed 
to Ionia, but since 1882 the father has been a 
resident of St. Johns. Fred Swain holds mem- 
bership in St. Johns lodge, chapter, council and 
commandery of the Masonic fraternity, and he 
and his wife are likewise memliers of Radiant 
chapter. X'o. 79. O. E. S., and she, too. is con- 
nected with the \Miite Shrine and St. Johns 
Circle of King's Daughters, while Mr. Swain 
is enrolled as a member of St. Johns lodge, K. 
P. The brothers and their wives are both 
prominent and influential in the community 
where they reside and are higliK- esteemed for 
their genuine worth. 



WILLIAM DOWDING. 

William Dowding, li\ing on section 15, 
\'ictor township, is one of the public-spirited 
citizens of this locality and is now efficiently 
serving as highway commissioner. His aifl and 
co-operation can always be counted upon to 
further movements that have for their object 
the welfare and upbuilding of the county and 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



293 



state. In liis private Inisiness interests he lias 
successfully conducted a farm of eighty acres 
situated on section 15. His life record liegan 
in Ontario county. New York, on the loth of 
January. 1862. He is a son of John Dowding. 
a native of England, who was reared in that 
country and was married there. Later he emi- 
grated to the new world, settling in Ontario 
county. Xew ^'ork. \\here he lost his first wife. 
He was afterward married there to ]\frs. Char- 
lotte Pope, a native of England and the mother 
of Charles W. Pope, who is mentioned else- 
where in this volume. William Dowding is 
one of two children born of the father's second 
m.irriage. his sister Harriet being the wife of 
Willirun Rector, of Geneseo. Xew \'ork. 

In the count)- of his nali\-ity William Dowd- 
ing spent his boyhood and \outh and when a 
young man came to the west in 1882. settling in 
Clinton county. ^lichigan. He joined his half- 
brother who was living in \'ictor township and 
began work here as a farm hand by the month. 
being thus emjiloyed for two \-ears. I le then 
married and afterward purchased land upon 
which he located. He has since develo])ed a 
good farm, on which he has erected a substan- 
tial two story residence, also a gtxid basement 
bam and has planted a nice orchard. He 
cleared the land of timber and stum])s and now 
has a productive tract, which annually yields 
him rich harvests in reward for the care and 
labor he bestows upon the fields. 

On die 24th of October. 1884. Mr. Dowd- 
ing was married to Miss Jessie Beech, a daugh- 
ter of Tohn Beech, who is mentioned elsewhere 
in this work. She was Ijorn. reared and edu- 
cated in Clinton comity, and by her marriage 
has become the mother of one son. Clifford, 
who is yet at home. Politically Mr. Dowding 
is a republican, unfaltering in his advcicacy of 
the party and its principles. By re-election he 
has been continued in the oftice of commissioner 
of highways of \'ictor township for seven years 
and has also served as a delegate to numenius 
county conventions, while for five weeks he 
served on the federal court jury. He belongs 
to the Masonic fraternity at Laingsburg and he 
and his wife are affiliated with the Eastern Star. 



Mr. Dowding feels that he made no mistake in 
coming to the west anil establishing his home 
in Michigan, for here he has found good busi- 
ness opix)rtunities as well as the advantages 
of the older east and in the careful conduct of 
his farm interests has gained a gratifying 
measure of success. 



W. IK^DSKIX GALE. M. D. 

Dr. W. Hodskin ( iale. engaged in the prac- 
tice of medicine in St. Johns, has attained a 
position of prominence that many an older 
physician might well envy. He is a native of 
Orwell. \'ermont. born .\ugust 21, 1870, and 
bis ])arents were Rollin C. and Delia (Hodskin) 
Gale, the former a native of the Green Moun- 
tain state and the latter of New York. The 
father was assistant adjutant general in the 
aniiv. being in the service at the time of his 
death, which dccurrod in i<^jt). He is still sur- 
vived by his widow and their onh' child. Dr. 
( iale. of St. Johns. 

In the public schools at Canton. Xew York. 
Dr. Gale began his education, which was con- 
tinued ill St. Johns Military School, Manlius. 
Xew York, and in Eastman's Business College 
at Pouglikeepsie. Xew ^'ork. from which he 
was graduated in i88<>. The literary and com- 
mercial training which he received proved an 
excellent foundation u]ion which be reared the 
su]iersti"ucture of his ])rofessi(>nal learning and 
he entered the College of Medicine at Rich- 
mond. \'irginia. where he attended lectures in 
iS<;4-3-6. He afterward continued his studies 
in Jefferson Medical College at Philadelphia, 
where he was graduated in the class of iqot. 

Dr. Ciales l)egan practice in St. Johns in 
1902 and has since lieen an active representa- 
tive of the medical fraternity here. He belongs 
to the Clinton County Medical Society and the 
Michigan Stale Medical Society. Of the for- 
mer he has served as secretary and treasurer, 
being elected in 1903 and re-elected in 1904 
and 1905. so that he is now holding the office. 
In his practice he has shown a thorough un- 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



394 

derstanding of the principles of the science and 
a ready adaptation of his knowledge to the 
needs of his patients. Greater than in almost 
any line of work is the responsibility that rests 
upon the physician, for the issues of life and 
death are in his hands. Moreover the physi- 
cian's power must be his own — not by pur- 
chase, by gift or In- influence can he gain it. 
It must be a matter of education and experience 
and the necessary qualifications of the suc- 
cessful practitioner are possessed in large de- 
gree by Dr. Gale. He is prominent in Ma- 
sonry, having attained the thirty-second degree 
of the Scottish Rite, and he is also a member of 
the Mystic Shrine. Dr. Gale was married, in 
June, 1903. to Miss Edith, daughter of J. M. 
Dodge, of St. Johns. 



JAMES MUNDELL 

James Mundell, living on section 24. 
Lebanon township, lias long been classed with 
the prosperous farmers of this locality and in 
connection with his son, Calvin J. Mundell. 
owns and conducts a farm of two hundred and 
thirty acres. He has lived in Clinton county 
since 1852 and great have been the changes 
that have been wrought in this time. He was 
bom in Scioto county, Ohio. May 30. 1847. 
his parents being Josephus and Elizabeth 
(Lewis) Mundell. The father was a native of 
Pennsylvania, where he was reared and mar- 
ried, and subsequently he removed to Ohio, 
settling in Scioto county, where he followed the 
wheelwright's trade and also engaged in farm- 
ing. The year 1852 witnessed his arrival in 
Michigan and he took up his abode in the midst 
of the green woods of Clinton county, his home 
being in the town of Dallas. There he bought 
eighty acres of land on which little improve- 
ment has been made, but his efforts soon 
wrought a change in the appearance of the place, 
transforming it into a productive property, on 
which he spent his remaining days, dying there 
in the prime of life on the 29th of March. 
1854. His wife sur\ived him and reared the 



family, inimbering six sons and one daughter, 
of whom fi\e sons and the daughter reached 
adult age, while three sons aufl the daughter 
are yet living. 

James Mundell was a lad of only five sum- 
mers when brought by his parents to this county 
and was reared in Dallas township, assisting in 
ilie work of clearing and developing the home 
farm as his age and strength permitted. He 
continued with his mother until he had reached 
man"s estate, after which he purchased the in- 
terest of the other heirs in the old home property 
and succeeded to its ownership. There he car- 
ried on general agricultural pursuits until 1891, 
when he sold out and bought the fami on 
which he now resides, comprising one hundred 
and twenty acres of land on section 24, Leb- 
anon township. The improvements upon the 
place are as a monument to his thrift and enter- 
prise, for he has here erected a good residence 
and substantial barns. He has also planted 
some fruit and has made a valuable farm as 
the result of his untiring effort and persever- 
ance. His fields are now richly tilled and he 
also raises good grades of stock, having Berk- 
shire hogs and Shorthorn cattle, with a good 
thnroughljred bull at the head of his herd. He 
likewise raises sheep and has enough horses on 
his place for the farm work. 

In 1873, in Dallas, Mr. Mundell was united 
in marriage to Miss Maria Coon, a native of 
New York, who was brought to Clinton county 
in her early girlhood by her father, Calvin 
Coon, who was one of the early settlers of 
Lebaniin township. Mr. and Mrs. Mundell 
liave two children. Calvin J., who was reared 
on the home fami and was educated in the 
schools of Fowler and Maple Rapids, was mar- 
ried in Lebanon township, October 4, 1899, to 
Miss Emma Smith, a daughter of Joseph Smith, 
and they now have two children. Opal E. and 
Retha M. Mary E.. the daughter of Mr. and 
Mrs. Mundell. is the wife of William Eisler, 
of Dallas township, where he follows fanning, 
and they have one child, Louise. 

Mr. Mundell and his son are associated in 
their Inisiness interests. They have purchased 
(inc hundred and ten acres of land near the old 




MR. AXD MRS. JAMES MUNDELL. 



I 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



397 



111 line jilace and farm lioth tracts ti\t;etlier. They 
are sjentlemcn of gtxxl business ability and un- 
tlajj^ins' enterprise and are meeting witli credit- 
able pni~))erity. Politically they were active ad- 
vocates of the democracy, but are now sup- 
jmrters of President Roosevelt. >[r. Mnndell 
and his \\ife belong to the old-school P>a])tist 
clunch. lie has spent almost his entire life in 
this county, witnessing its transformation as 
the conditions of pioneer life ha\'e been replaced 
by those of a modern ci\ilization. With tlie 
work of deveiopmcTit and improvement Mr. 
Mundell has been connected, tiius aiding in 
public ])rogress as well as indi\-idual success. 



I.E\'T D. CARTER. 



Ee\ i 1). Carter, whose home is on section 6, 
Hath township, and who has lieen a represent- 
ati\e of farming interests in Clinton county 
since 1875. is a nati\e of Sandusky, Ohio, bom 
on the 2(1 of July. 1851. His father, John 
Carter, was a native of England, and was 
reared to manhood in the state of his nativity. 
When a young man he emigrated to the new 
world, locating first in Ohio. He was there 
united in marriage to Miss Eliza Duncan, who 
was born and reared in Virginia. Mr. Carter 
was a tailor bv trade and followed that pursuit 
thnughout his entire business career. He died 
in Ohio in 1857. when his son Levi was but 
fi\e years of age. and his wife, who sur\i\ed 
him for a long period, reared her famil\' in a 
careful and jjainstakiug manner, doing the best 
possible for them. 

Levi D. Carter, ho\\e\er, spent much of his 
youth in the family of J. X. Smith, with whom 
he came to .Michigan in 1865. After arriving 
at years of maturuy he started out upon an 
independent business career and worked by 
the month as a farm hand until his twenty- 
seventh year, .\mbitious to have a farm of his 
own he saved his earnings and invested his 
capital in eighty acres of land. It was covered 
with timber, being entirel\- wild .and unim- 
proved, but w ith strong pur])ose ami undaunted 



energy he liegan the arduous task of clearing 
the tract and preparing it for cultivation. He 
cut down trees, cleared away the stumps and 
brush, and in course of time plowed and planted 
the fields. .\s year after year has gone l)y he 
has continued the work of improvement until he 
now Ins a well developed farm property 
e(|ui])])ed with modern conveniences and yield- 
ing him excellent harvests as a return for the 
care and labor he has bestowed upon the place, 
lie has a good residence, also substantial barns 
and outbuildings, and has planted a large 
orchard w ith a great variety of fruit, making a 
specialty of horticultural pursuits in connection 
with general fanning. 

Mr. Carter was first married in Bath town- 
shi]), in November. 1880. to Miss I^ota Harris, 
who was born and reared here and died aljout 
two years after her marriage, leaving one child, 
Leota. who is now the wife of Claude Trumble. 
a car])enter of Bath. 

[■"or bis second wife .Mr. Carter chose Miss 
Jennie Hallell. who was born in Ingham 
Count)'. Michigan, and died in 1894. There 
were two children by that marriage, William 
and Homer J. I'or his third wife Mr. Carter 
chose Mrs. Ella Stout, a widow, who is a na- 
tive of the state of Xew ^drk but she was 
reared in Michigan. She first gave her hand in 
marriage to Manson Stout.. who was a farmer 
of Lenawee county. Michigan, and died there, 
leaving a daughter. Edith, who is now the wife 
of Her\e}' Sc itt. of Clinton county. 

Politicall}' a lifelong re|)ublican. Mr. Carter 
Ins never wavered in his allegiance to the men 
and measures of the party but is without |ioliti- 
cal aspiration for himself. He and liis wife 
belong to the Methodist Episcopal church and 
rue advocates of all that tends to public progress 
anil to development al mg material, social, in- 
tellectual and moral lines. .\s Jxiy and man 
Mr. Crn-ter has been a resident of Miciiigan for 
forty years and has therefore witnessed much of 
the growth and develo])ment of this countv. He 
takes an active interest in what has lx?en ac- 
comphshed here in the prosperity of the people 
.■'ud in the substantial improvement of this sec- 
tiou of the state which Ins been transfonned 



398 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



into a splendid agricultural district although a 
comparatively few decades ago it was a wild, 
timbered region. 



THOMAS H. EDDY. 



Thomas H. Eddy, whose strength of charac- 
ter, successful accomplishment in business life 
and progress in ]>olitical circles as a leader of 
dem(icrac\- well entitles him to mention in tiie 
history of Clintun Cdunty, was Ixirn in Port- 
land. Ionia county, Michigan, on the i8th of 
April, i860. His father. Harvey Eddy, was a 
cooper by trade and came with liis father's 
family to Clinton count}' in 1837, settling in 
Eagle and moving to Dallas in 1863. The 
country was then new and largely unimproved 
and the family met the usual experiences and 
exigencies of pioneer life. Further mention of 
the parents is made in connection with the his- 
tory of Darius T. Eddy on another jiage of 
this work, .\fter four years spent in Dallas 
the family returned to Portland, and the 
mother died when her son Thomas was in his 
thirteenth year. The children then became 
separated and 'i'humas H. Eddy started out in 
life on his own account. He came to Eagle and 
secured a situation as a farm laborer, receiving 
in compensation for his services his board and 
clothing and the opportunity of attending the 
district school in the winter months. \\'hen 
fifteen years of age he was paid a wage, re- 
ceiving at first six dollars per month for his 
services as a farm hand, while later he was 
advanced to thirteen dollars per month. He 
has known what it is to be denied many of the 
privileges and advantages which most young 
lads receive but his strength of character and 
self-reliance have made him a strong and force- 
ful factor in Inisiness and public life in his 
adopted county in later years. 

\\"hen a young man of twenty Mr. Eddy was 
united in marriage to Miss Nettie A. Mc- 
Cnmib. the wedding being celebrated on the 
25th of August. 1880, on her eighteenth birtli- 
dav. She was a daughter of George ^^'. Mc- 



Cnunb. The young couple started out in life 
with a capital of but forty-five dollars and year 
b}- year they added to this. Mrs. Eddy proved 
a faithful companion and helpmate to her hus- 
band on the journey of life, assisting him by 
her wise counsel and capable management of 
the household affairs up to the time of her 
death, which occurred April 21. 1901, when she 
was thirty-eight years of age. She left two 
children, Ivaleeta M. and Eulalah A. On the 
3d of June, 1903, Mr. Eddy was again mar- 
ried, his second union being with Loretta Bur- 
rough, of Eagle. 

Since 1884 Mr. Eddy has been engaged in 
business in Eagle, establishing a general mer- 
cantile enterprise which he conducted for 
eight vears alone. He then admitted his 
Ijrother, Darius T. Eddy, to a partnership and 
the firm of Eddy Brothers has since been a val- 
ued factor in commercial circles in Eagle. They 
carr\' a large and well selected line of general 
merchandise and have secured a lilieral patron- 
age in their store. The\' also deal in W(X>d and 
coal, in which they have built up a good trade. 
Their business methods are such as will bear 
the closest investigation and scrutin\- and the 
firm enjoys an unassailable reputation. Every 
step in his career has been thoughtfully and 
carefully made by Thomas H. Eddy, who was 
familiar to the early residents of this section of 
the state as a barefoot boy. working at farm la- 
bor, but he has gradually advanced toward the 
goal of prosperity until he is now ranked with 
the successful business men of tliis ])art of the 
state. 

From the time he attained his majority to 
the present he has given his support to the 
democracy and his interest in ])olitical ques- 
tions is that of a public-spirited and loyal citi- 
zen who feels it the duty as well as the privilege 
of e\erv true American to interest himself in 
the great questions of the day and aid in fur- 
thering each movement which he l:)elieves will 
contrilnite to the country's welfare. In 1883 he 
was chosen postmaster of Eagle and served 
under the Cleveland administration, being re- 
appointed under Mr. Cleveland's second ad- 
ministration. He has been elected township 



I 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



399 



clerk nine times altlioug-h tlie township has a 
strong normal republican majority. This fact 
indicates his personal popularity and the confi- 
dence reposed in him by those who know him 
best. He was the candidate of his party for the 
state legislature in igoo and he made a strong 
canxass u]iiin a personal platform which he 
clearly outlined so that all who knew his posi- 
tion in regard to the questions most affecting 
the welfare of the commonwealth. The nom- 
ination came to him unsolicited and was a mer- 
ited acknowledgment by his party of his fidelity 
to its interests and his efforts in its behalf. I-'ra- 
ternally Mr. Eddy is connected with the Ma- 
sonic lodge and the Eastern Star; also the 
r.leaners: Clinton lodge. No. 65, I. O. O. F. ; 
Portland lodge. No. 60. A. O. U. \\'. : and 
l*lagle Grange. No. 343. He is likewise a mem- 
ber of the Methodist Episcopal church of Eagle 
and his labors have been of benefit in further- 
ing the material, intellectual and moral welfare 
of his community. Having long been a resi- 
dent of the village so that his life in its various 
phases is known to his fellow townsmen it is 
safe to say there is no more honored or popular 
resident of this part of the county than "Tom" 
[•".(hh-. b\' which name he is familiarl\- known to 
his nianv friends. 



J.\Y PRUDEN. 

Jav Pruden. one of the most active and ef- 
fective workers in behalf of the development 
I if the Sunday-school movement in the Baptist 
churches in the state of Michigan, was born in 
Rile\- t(nvnshi]). Clinton county, and makes his 
Imme in St. Johns. Afichigan. His natal day 
was October 2, 1867. Tradition says that the 
family was established in early colonial days in 
Cnnnecticut. whence rejiresentatives of the 
name went to \'ermont. after\vard to Pennsyl- 
vania and later to New York. The name is 
undoubtedly of English origin. Hulse E. 
Pruden. father of Jay Pruden, was liorn in 
Seneca county. New York, and was one of a 
familv of eleven children, of whom two are 



still li\ing: Peter W.. who is now living in 
I'.ay City. Michigan: and George, of -\lma, diis 
state. 

Hulse I-. Pniden, having spent his early life 
in the east became a resident nf Jackson county, 
Michigan, when a \-outh of twelve years of age. 
He settled in 01i\e township in 1H45, living 
with his ])arcnts until a later date. His father 
removed to Lyons, Michigan, where he con- 
ducted a harness and shoe .shop until he retired. 
.\bout 1S60 Hulse L. Pruden began farming 
iin his own account, purchasing one hundred 
and sixty acres of land in Riley township, Clin- 
tfin county. He improved eighty acres of this 
land, the remaining eighty acres being sold 
while he was in the army. He enlisted in Janu- 
ary, 1863, as a member of the First Regiment 
of Michigan Fngineers and Mechanics, Ijeing 
assigned to duty with Company E. He re- 
mained in active service during the remainder 
of the war and was mustered out in 1865. He 
then returned to Clinton county, resuming his 
residence in Riley township. In .\ugust, 1866, 
he was united in marriage to Harriet Howe, 
also a native of Seneca county. New York, and 
a daughter of Philander Howe, who was like- 
wise born in the Empire state, whence he re- 
moved to Ohio, .\fter a .short time, however. 
Mr. Howe went to Indiana, and on coming to 
Michigan he .settled on White Pigeon Prairie. 
Later he took up his abode in Ingham county 
and helped to clear the logs from the ground 
where the capital now stands. E\entually he 
settled on a farm in Olive township. Clinton 
countv. establishing his home there about 1855. 
and making it his place of residence throughout 
his remaining days. His wife, who tore the 
maiden name of Mary Hyde, was also a native 
of \ew \'ork, and her death occurred in 1856. 
when she was only thirty-seven years of age. 
Mr. Howe, long surviving her. passed away in 
i()03. at the advanced age of eighty-eight years. 

hollowing his marriage Hulse Pruden took 
his wife to his farm in this ci^unty and con- 
tinued to carry on agricultural pursuits in the 
mi<lst of the forest. The land was all covered 
with timber when it came into his pos.session. 
but he cleared this and in due course of time 



400 



PAST .\ND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



cultivated it. re:iping g(jod liarvests. In tS8i 
lie went to Ithnca. Micliigan, where he engaged 
in mercantile pur.'Juits until 1884. He then re- 
turned to his farm and ojjerated and impro\ed 
it in connection with the conduct of a store 
until 1 89 1. In that year his store was de- 
stn)yed by fire and he did not resume business, 
but in the spring of 1892 purchased a place 
on T^ansing street in St. Johns. He sold his 
land in Hjjor. His remaining days were passed 
in the county seat and he died in 1903. at the 
age of se\-enty years. He was a democrat in 
jxjlitics hut ne\'er sought or desired office. His 
religious connection was with the Baptist 
church and his faith was a permeating influence 
in his life, prompting him to honorable relations 
with his fellowmen and to unfaltering integrity 
in all business transactions. His wife, who was 
born in January. 1844. died July 26, 1896. in 
the fifty-third year of her age. In their family 
were five sons and two daughters, those still 
living being Jay, Janie, Oral and Innes. while 
Milton, Smith and Vena are deceased. 

Ja\- Pruden recei^•ed but limited educational 
privileges, attending the district schools for 
only two and a half years, liut at the age of 
twenty he walked nine miles to and from St. 
Jnlins to schiidl. jiursuing a high-school course. 
Later he attended Kalamazoo College in 1895-6. 
and then because of failing health was obliged 
to abandon his studies. In 1S87 he became 
converted and was liaptized as a member of the 
Baptist church, in St. Johns, in April, 1890. 
The following year, realizing the need of work- 
ers in the Sunday-school field, he liecame in- 
terested in that dejiartment of church work in 
bis own townsbi]). He ga\'e up a position with 
the St. Johns Table Company and organized 
two Siuiday-schools in his townsbi]) and made 
an attempt to establish the third. He walked 
six miles to and from the place designated for 
the organization of the scIkxjI for five consecu- 
tive .Sundays and on those occasions was the 
onl)- one present, but his perseverance and zeal 
were at length rewarded liy a general religious 
awakening in that locality. In 1892 he was 
called u])on to deli\-er an address at the Sunday- 
school con\-ention and his words awakened the 



interest of the state sui)erintendent. Rev. E. D. 
Rundell. who believed Mr. Pruden well 
qualified for Sunday-school missionary work, 
fn the coinention held at Benton Harlior, 
Rev. C. C. Bitting, of the American Baptist 
Puljlication Society, instnicted Superintendent 
Rundell to select a colj^orter for work in the 
lower peninsula of Michigan and Mr. Pruden 
was selected and accepted the office, acting for 
one year as Mr. Rundell's assistant. In the fall 
of 1894 he became the first cnlixirter of the 
Detroit Baptist .\ssociation. Thinking to enter 
the ministry he became a student in the Kalama- 
zoo College, in October, 1895, but later I)elieved 
himself mistaken in feeling that he was called 
to that special branch of religious work, he 
again resumed bis labors in behalf of the Sun- 
day-school mo\ement. One year and six 
months later he was invited to go to Utah as 
colporter and accepted. On the ist of June, 
1900. he accejjted the position of superintendent 
of the liaptist Sunday-.school work for the state 
of Michigan, in which connection he is now 
doing eff'ecti\e serxice. his efforts being far- 
leiching. He conducts his work under three 
beads, that of corres])onding secretary, organi- 
zation and institute work, and under his direc- 
tion the attendance at Sunday-schools of the 
B?])tist churches in Michigan has been increased 
tweh'e thousand. 

On the 14th of December, 1898, Mr. Pruden 
was married to Bertha Mains, a native of Mc- 
Keesport, Penns}-lvania, and a resident of Salt 
Lake City, I'tab, at the time of their marriage. 
Their children are Stewart Alains, Xorman J.. 
Irma IJertha and Thomas Howe. The family 
reside in .St. Johns and .Mr. Pruden is well 
known in this county as well as Ihrnughout the 
stale. The work which he has cho.sen largely 
means a life of self-sacrifice but 'he never falters 
in his devotion to the Sunday-school movement, 
realizing diat the jirinciples instilled into the 
minds of the young are the basic elements of up- 
right and honorable character, lie has brought 
to this work keen discrimination, thorough un- 
derstanding of conditions, ready sympatb\' and 
strong purpose, and while his inllncncc is im- 
n^eisuralile, the cause of his intangibilitv and 



PAS'I' AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



401 



tlie direct result ni his efforts are seen in in- 
creased interest and attendance in the schools 
in which he has labored. 



AT.FRKD D. T.AX'CE. 



.\lfred 1 ). I.ance. who is enoaged in farniinj,' 
on section 16, Rile\' townslii]). is a native of 
W'ayne county. Ohio, and a son of William and 
Clara (Johnson) Lance, wlni were likewise na- 
tives of Ohio, where they spent their remain- 
ing days, the mother dying in i(S84 at the age 
of forty-foiu' years, the father dying in i8()8, 
at the age of sixty-six years. In their family 
were seven children: .\lfred P.: Edwin H. 
and Medwin R.. twins: Ernest M., who died in 
1888. at the age of twenty-one years: W'infred 
L. : 1). Dewitt : and Mabel \'.. the wife of 
Clyde O. Becker. <>\ Ohid. 

In the ccimnmii schools of his native town 
Alfred D. Lance pursued his education and re- 
mained at home until twenty-one years of age. 
when he came to Michigan, locating in Bing- 
ham townshi]5. Clinton county, where he was 
em|)loyed at farm labor. He also taught school 
a part of the time, for ten years, in Riley. Ben- 
gal and Bingham townships. Tie was em- 
ployed in St. Johns Creamery fur three years 
and in 1874 came to Riley township, renting 
his |)rcsent farm on sectio-i 16. .\fter leasing 
this land for six years he l)ought a farm in the 
southern part i:f the townshi]). but after three 
years' residence there sold out and returned to 
his present hi>meand innxhased the farm of one 
hundred acres in 1902. It is a ])n>dnctive tract 
of land, of rich alknial soil, responding readily 
to the cultivation I)estowed up(Mi it. so that Mr. 
Lance annually harvests good crops. In 1905 
he built a barn thirty-six liy fift\- four feet, and 
now has a well improved property. 

Ou the .vl of October. 1888. Mr. Lance was 
united in marriage to Miss Hannah B. Chan- 
man, a daughter of .\ndrew and .\urelia ( W'il- 
cox) Chapman, of Riley ti)wnshi]i. Thev now 
have two children; Merle .\. and Doris .\. In 
his iKilitical \iews Mr. Lance is a stalwart dem- 



ocrat and has l)een called to several local offices, 
serving as school inspector, highway commis- 
sioner, justice of the peace and township treas- 
urer, filling the last-named position at the 
present time, in 1905. He is a member of De- 
witt lodge. Xo. J72. ]•". & A. M., having been 
maile a Mason in 1901. and he also belongs to 



R 



ile\- 



.\i 



.\. O. O. G.. and Rilev (Irange. 



.\"u. 34_>. Mr. Lance had only fixjc dollars in 
his pocket when he arri\ed in Michigan, and 
the attractive and valuable farm which he now^ 
owns is the \isible evidence of his life of thrift 
and enter])rise — qualities which have resulted 
in the ac(|uirement of a good home and com- 
fortable competence. 



AX A XI AS POUC?L 

.\nanias I'duch. ;i cimtractor and builder 
who.se operations in the line of his chosen voca- 
tion have connected him with the material im- 
]ir(i\ement nf St. Johns, is a native of this city, 
born January 20. 1866. The Pouch family 
came originally from Germany. The father, 
Levi Pouch, was a native of Canton. Ohio, and 
was united in nruM-iage to Miss Caroline Mc- 
Cloutl. who was l)orn in Lancaster. Pennsvl- 
xrinia. and re])resente(l an old family of Scotch 
lineage. [■'ollowing their marriage Mr. and 
.Mrs. Pouch came to Clinton county. Michigan, 
settlin.g in Bingham townshi]). where the father 
has since engaged in farming. L'nto him and 
bis wife have been liorn four sons: John, .Mvin, 
.\nanias. and Henry H., all residents of the 
county seat. 

.\nanias Pouch. ha\ing mastered the ele- 
mentary branches of learning in the district 
schools, continued his studies in Lansing high 
school and after jnitting aside his text-lmoks 
began learning the mason's trade. He em- 
barked in the building business on his own ac- 
count in 1887 and six years later, in 1893. he 
entered into ])artnership with C. F. Pulfrey 
inider the firm style of Pulfrey & Pouch. This 
relation has since been maintaine<l and the firm 
stands foremost aim >ng contractors and build 



402 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



ers of Clinton county. ha\-ing erected many r.i 
the leading business blocks and residences of 
St. Johns. They have also conducted a brick- 
yard since 1900 and are therefore connected 
with the productive industries of the localit}'. 
Fidelity to the terms of a contract, prompt exe- 
cution and excellent workmanshi]) are strong 
and salient characteristics of the hrni. 

On the 31st of ;\Iarch, 1896, Mr. Pouch v. as 
married to Miss Florence E. Buck, of St. Johns, 
a daughter of Charles Buck, and they have two 
children, Leo and Florence, who are the light 
and life of the household. Mr. Pouch belongs 
to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and 
his political affiliation is with the democratic 
party. He has served as trustee and president 
of the village of St. Johns and in 1904 was its 
mayor. His life is an illustration of what 
ability, energy and force of character can ac- 
complish and the city has l)een enriched by his 
example. It is to such men that the west owes 
its prosperity and rapid progress. 



MILO R. VAN DEUSEN. 

Milo R. Van Deusen is well known as a 
general merchant of Elsie and one whose ac- 
tivity in public life has been of direct benefit 
to his fellow townsmen, tdr in the various 
public ofiRces to which he has been called he 
has discharged his duties with a ])nimptness and 
fidelity that has contributed in a substantial 
measure to the well-lDeing of the county. His 
entire life has been passed in Michigan, his birth 
having occurred in Shiawassee county, not far 
from Elsie, on the 9th of May. 1868. He 
comes of Holland ancestiy. the Van Deusens 
having emigrated to the new world in the early 
part of the seventeenth century, settling in Mas- 
sachusetts. Andrew Van Deusen, the grand- 
father, was l)orn in Massachusetts near Great 
Barrington and removing to the west settled 
in Ohio about 1825. He took up his al>ide on 
a farm in Hinkley township. Medina county, 
but later engaged in the manufacture of lumber. 
His son. Roe G. \'an Deusen, father of our 



subject, was Imrn in Chautauqua county, New 
York, in 1820, but was reared to manhood in 
Ohio and was first married there to Miss 
Susanna Foss. In early life he learned the 
trade of a carpenter and joiner and subsequently 
engaged in contracting and Iniilding on his own 
account. He was a man of good education and 
in early life liecame a successful teacher. He 
also read law and jiracticed both in Ohio and 
Michigan. The year 1856 witnessed his ar- 
rival in this state, at which time he located in 
Fairfield township. Shiawassee county. Settling 
upon a farm he devoted his attention to general 
agricultural pursuits and became a leading and 
influential resident of his community, serving 
as supervisor and in other positions of honor 
and trust. At length he removed frrmi the 
farm to Elsie, where he lived retired until his 
death, which occurred in 1895, when he was 
seventy-five years of age. He lost his first 
wife in Michigan and later w'as married to Miss 
Sophia Burleson, a native of New York. 

Milo R. Van Deusen was born of the second 
marriage and was reared upon the old family 
homestead, while in the common schools of the 
neighborhood he acquired his primar\' educa- 
tion. Later he attended the schools of Elsie and 
on putting aside his text-books he engaged in 
clerking in the employ of M. B. Netzorg with 
whom he remained for a number of years, re- 
cei\ing a practical business training during that 
time. In 1897 he embarked in business on his 
own account, purchasing a store in which he 
began widi a small stock of goods. To this he 
has added, however, from year to year and now 
carries a large line of groceries and general 
merchandise and has built up an extensive and 
profitable trade through his fair dealing and the 
excellent line of staple and fancy groceries 
and merchandise which he carries. 

On the 26th of September, 1890, Mr. Van 
Deusen was married to Miss Blanche Snelling, 
a native of Michigan, who was born, reared and 
educated in Elsie. Her father, Thomas W. 
Snelling. was a native of England and was one 
of the e;uly settlers and business men of Elsie. 
Mr. and Mrs. Van Deusen have become the 
parents of three children: Annie, Elizabeth and 



4 




.M. R. \ AX DEUSEN. 



t 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



405 



R. (i. Van Deuseii. In his ])nlitical atliliatioii 
Mr. \'an Deuseii is a stanch re]nil)Hcan and he 
is a heliever in temperance and the principles 
of i)rohihition. He takes an active part in local 
ix)litical work and has been elected and served 
in a number of positions of honor and trust. 
He has acted as a member of the village council 
and president of the village board, has also l)een 
township clerk and is a member of the school 
Ixiard. In 1904 he was elected supervisor and 
again in 1905. so that he is now serving for the 
second term as a member of the honorary 
count\- board. He is a member of the com- 
mittee on the eciualization and also the com- 
mittee on ])oor and be is interested in all that 
pertains to the substantial improvement and wel- 
fare of this part of the state. He is indeed a pub- 
lic-spirited man and his co-operation may always 
be counted ujjon for the furtherance of any 
movement for the general good. Both he and 
his wife are active workers and faithful mem- 
bers in the Methodist Episcoi)al church at Elsie 
and Mr. \'an Deusen belongs to the Masonic 
lodge, while be and his wife are identified with 
the Eastern Star. He belongs to the Odd b'el- 
lows lodge at Elsie and the encampment, and he 
and Mrs. Van Deusen are connected with the 
Rebekah lodge. He is likewise a member of 
the Knights of the Maccal)ees and is serving as 
commander. In the faithful performance of 
eacli day's duty Mr. Xim Deusen has put forth 
his best efforts, neglecting no obligation that 
has devoKed u])on hiiu and fully meeting each 
res])onsibility that has come through business 
relations and ]uiblic life. His name is an 
honored one and be enjoys in a high degree 
the respect and good will of those with whom 
he has been associated. 



M. M. MESSER. 



M. M, Messer, living on section 27, Lebanon 
township, is a thrifty fanner owning and o])er- 
ating one hundred and twenty acres of land 
that constitutes a well improved and valuable 
farm. His residence in the countv dates from 



18O4. His birth occurreil in Lehigh county, 
Pennsylvania. September 20. 1852. His father. 
Michael Messer, likewise born in the Keystone 
state, there remained until after his marriage to 
Miss Lydia Strohl, also a native of Pennsylva- 
nia. In 1864 he came to Michigan with his 
fadier, settling in Lebanon township. Clinton 
county, where be purchased a tract of land 
wbicb u]) to this time was still in its primitive 
condition but he began to clear and develo]:) a 
farm, cultivating it during his remaining days, 
bis death here ocairring in 1895. His wife 
survived him for several years. 

M. M. Messer was a youth of twelve sum- 
mers when brought to Michigan and he re- 
mained under the parental roof until he had 
reached man's estate when be went into the 
lumber woods, where he was employed during 
three winter seasons. The money thus earned 
was invested in forty acres of land, where he 
now resides. Xo road had been laid to the 
])lace and he made a highway and began cut 
ting awav the timber pre])aratory to cultivating 
the fields. He and his brother chopjjed down 
the trees on forty acres of land and fenced 
fifteen acres, making it ready for the plow. M. 
M. ^^esscr continued the work of clearing his 
own place and when bis earnings made possi- 
ble further iinestment in ])ro]ierty he would 
add to bis original ])urcbase until now he has 
an excellent farm of one hundred and twenty 
acres, of which eighty acres is cleared and cul- 
tivated. He carries on farming along modern, 
progressive lines and is practical and system- 
atic in all that he d<H?s. .\ good house, barn, 
granarx ruid other oiubuildings have been 
erected by him and in bis care of the fields he 
indicates that be is familiar with the value of 
rotating crops. Annually be garners rich 
harvests and his work is attended by the suc- 
cess which alwa\s crowns earnest and indefati- 
gable lalxir. 

Mr. Messer was married in Maple Rapids. 
.Michigan, in .\pril, 1877. to Miss May .\manda 
.Alexander, a native of Ohio, who was horn, 
reared and educated in 01)erlin. Left an orphan 
bv the death of her parents in her girlhood days, 
she was reared bv an uncle, Robert Meade. 



4o6 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



\\'hen a young lady she came to Michigan and 
at the age of eighteen years gave her hand in 
marriage to Mr. Messer. They began their 
domestic life upon the farm where they now 
reside and as the years have passed seven chil- 
dren have been added to the household : O. A., 
who is married and has a son, Theron. and is 
now engaged in farming in Lebanon township ; 
Lydia, the wife of Charles Allor, of Maple 
Rapids. Michigan ; Ruby, the wife of Charles 
Roberts, who is living near Maple Rapids, and 
I)v whom she has one child. May: Ila, the wife 
of George ?liner and the mother of one daugh- 
ter. Bertha: Maggie: and Ira jNI., a lad of ten 
years. Thev lost a son, Fred M., who died in 
infancy. 

Mr. Messer is classed with the citizens who 
give political allegiance to the democracy at 
the state and presidential elections but locally 
he votes independently. He is serving as school 
officer but otherwise has held no positions of 
]-)olitical preferment. His wife and daughter 
Maggie are members of the United Brethren 
church. In a review of his past history and the 
recognition of the fact that he has lived in this 
county for more than forty -one years, shows 
that he came to Michigan when the great for- 
ests covered large stretches of countiw so that 
arduous labor awaited the frontier settlers in 
opening up and developing the region for agri- 
cultural purposes. In this work Mr. Messer 
has taken an active and helpful part and is re- 
garded as an enterprising agriculturist as well 
as a man of good business abilitv. 



GURDIN E. PRAY. 



Gurdin E. Pray devotes his time and energies 
to general farming on sections 6 and 7, Du- 
])l-un township, where he owns and operates one 
hundred acres of land. He is a native son of 
Michigan, his birth having occurred in Ovid 
township, Clinton county, on the 28th of 
March, 1848, so that he is a representative of 
one of the early families of this part of the 
state. His father, Ormen O. Pray, was a na- 



tive of New York, whence he removed to Ohio. 
There he engaged in coopering for a .short time 
but subsequently came to Michigan, arriving in 
this state in 1845. He entered land from the 
government in Ovid township and cleared and 
opened up a farm of eighty acres, the boundaries 
of which he afterward extended by the addi- 
tional purcha,se of forty acres. He married 
INIiss Esther .\nn Richards, a native of Con- 
necticut and a daughter of Obadiah Richards, 
who was one of the early settlers of this state. 
They became the parents of eight children, all 
of whom reached mature years. The mother is 
still living and now resides with her daughter 
in Duplain township. 

To this family Gurdin E. Pray belonged. He 
was reared to manhood in 0\'id township and 
was educated in the district schools, remaining 
with his father until his twenty-third year, 
when he bought forty acres of raw timber land, 
which he began to clear and cultivate. He has 
since purchased sixty acres more and has now 
a splendidly improved property in the midst of 
which stands a good two story frame residence. 
There is also a large and commodious barn and 
various .sheds for the shelter of grain, stock and 
farm implements. He uses the latest improved 
farm im]ilements and in fact has a property that 
displays all the evidence of a model farm of 
the twentieth century. He has much fruit upon 
his place, including berries and an orchard, and 
in his farmwork he is enterprising, his labor 
lieing the strong resultant factor in his suc- 
cess. 

On the 1st of January, 1859, Mr. Pray was 
married to Miss Cinderella Blank, a native of 
Sandusky, Ohio, and a daughter of George 
Blank, who was bom in Pennsylvania. He 
afterward removed to Ohio, but subsequently 
came to Michigan. Mr. and Mrs. Pray have 
two children: Cora E., at home; and Milo G., 
who is a jeweler of Muskegon, Michigan. 

Politically Mr. Pray is independent, voting 
for the candidate whom he thinks best qualified 
for office regardless of party affiliations. He 
has served for a number of years on the school 
board but has never sought or desired office as 
he prefers to give his undivided attention to 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



407 



his business affairs, realizing- tiiat labor is the 
l)asis nf all -ucccss and desirous of making a 
gdod home and provide a comfortable living for 
his familv. 



REV. NATHAN L. BRASS. 

Rev. Nathan L. Brass, a minister of the Free- 
will Baptist church, who for many years was 
actively identified with pastoral work and still 
fills the pulpit on many occasions, is a native 
son of Duplain township, Clinton county, bom 
August 22, 1843. His father, Samuel Brass, 
was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1802, 
and was of German descent, his ancestors hav- 
ing been among the early residents of New 
England. Samuel Brass was reared in the 
place of his nativity and there learned the shoe- 
maker's trade. He was married in Springfield, 
Massachusetts, to a Miss Bliss and subsequently 
removed to Michigan, becoming one of the first 
settlers of Washtenaw county. He worked at 
the shoemaker's trade in Ann Arbor, and while 
living tliere he lost his first wife. He was then 
married to Miss Margaret Doty, who was born 
in Albany, New York, in the Catskill mount- 
ains. Removing to Clinton county he was one 
of the colony that settled on the Maple river. 
There he started a boot and shoe shop but first 
located on a farm on which he reared his family, 
making it his home throughout his remaining 
days. His death occurred March 4, 1864, and 
his second wife passed away in 1859. There 
were two sons of the first marriage: Samuel L., 
who died in Nebraska in 1903; and Newman 
W., who died in Duplain colony in 1902. By 
the second marriage there were five sons and 
two daughters, and with the exception of 
Le\\-is, who died at the age of fourteen 
years, and one daughter, all reached mature 
years. Rev. Brass of this review being 
the eldest. The others are : Mrs. Mary F. Shep- 
ard. of Toledo, Ohio; Rev. Frank A. Brass, a 
minister of the Baptist church now at Wolf 
Lake, Indiana; George A., a traveling man re- 
siding at San Francisco, California; and Ed- 
ward H., who became a soldier of the Union 
26 



Army and died of typhoid fever while in the 
service of his country. 

Elder Brass, of this review, acquired his edu- 
cation in the common schools of Duplain, in 
the select school at that place and in Nebraska, 
where he pursued several courses in theology. 
He was licensed and ordained a minister at 
Hillsdale College and his first pastoral labor was 
at Juniata, Nebraska. He was actively engaged 
in evangelistic work and also had charge of 
different churches. I-'or twenty-three years he 
resided in Nebraska and then returned to Clin- 
ton county in 1894. at which time he located in 
Elsie. He has not had a regular charge since 
that time but has preached at different places. 
Since his childhood days he has been an active 
worker in the church and his influence has been 
of no restricted order but on the contrary his 
efforts have been far-reaching and beneficial in 
their influence and the seeds of truth which he 
has sown have borne rich fruit in the lives of 
those who have come under his teachings and 
his influence. 

Elder Brass was married in Duplain, in 
1867, to Miss Racliel R. Smith, a native of 
Michigan and a daughter of the Rev. S. J. 
Smith, a minister of the United Brethren 
church. She was reared and educated in 
Brighton and by her marriage has become the 
mother of five children, of whom four are liv- 
ing for they lost their first bom. Those who 
still survive are: Bertha O., the w-ife of Wil- 
liam Fela, of Howell. Michigan; Frank .^., who 
is living at Seneca, Kansas; Frederick, who is 
marshal of Elsie; and Helen, who is attending 
the home school. 

On the 2d of February, 1864, after the death 
of his brother in the army Elder Brass enlisted 
for service with the Union troops, joining the 
First Michigan Cavaln,' as a member of Com- 
pany D. He then ranained with that command 
until the expiration of his temi of service, when 
he was honorably discharged. The company 
was on detached duty in pursuit of Mosby's 
men and in fighting guerillas and thus partici- 
pated in a number of engagements. Rev. Brass 
was injured while crossing a ditch but was 
never wounded. He has always been loyal in 



4o8 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



citizenship, desirous of the best good of the 
country and of his home locality as well and his 
influence has ever been on the side of right, 
progress and improvement. 



A. WARNER. M. D. 



Dr. J. A. \\'anier. who for four years has 
been engaged in the practice of medicine in 
Bath, a liberal i)atrnnage being accorded him, 
dates his residence in Michigan since 1873. He 
was born in Darke county, Ohio, November 3, 
1865. His father, Moses Warner, was also a 
native of that state, born in 1844. while the 
grandfather. Henry Warner, was likewise bom 
in Ohio. Moses Warner was reared to man- 
hood in Ohio and was there married to Miss 
Anna Miller, a native of Virginia and a daugh- 
ter of the Rev. Isaac Miller, a minister of the 
German Baptist church. l'"or a number of years 
Moses Warner followed farming in Darke 
countv, Ohio, and six of his children were bom 
there. In 1873 he came with his family to 
Michigan, settling in Bany county, where he 
located on a farm, giving his time and attention 
to agricultural pursuits. In his work he pros- 
pered, becoming one of the well-to-do citizens 
of the community. There he reared his family 
and spent his last days, passing away in 1893. 
His wife still survives him and since the death 
of her husband she made her home with her 
son. Dr. Warner, of Bath. 

In Barry county, Michigan. Dr. Warner 
spent the days of his boyhood and youth and 
after acquiring his elementary education in the 
common schools continued his studies in the 
higher institutions of learning. He was later 
a teacher for a few years and then pursued a 
course in pharmacy, during which time he be- 
came imbued with a desire to enter upon the 
practice of medicine and matriculated in the 
medical department of the State University, at 
Ann .\rbor. Later he was a drug clerk and 
pharmacist in a store for ten years, and during 
five years of that time studied medicine under 
the instruction of Dr. J. A. Baughman, a lead- 



ing ph)sician of Barry county. He pursued 
his first course of lectures at the Saginaw Val- 
ley Medical College, at Saginaw, Michigan, 
in 1898, and was graduated there in 1901. He 
then located for practice in Bath. .Michigan, and 
in 1904 he pursued a post-graduate course in 
Detroit, thus becoming well equipiied for the 
responsible duties which devohx upin him. He 
is now numbered among the best read physi- 
cians of Clinton county and is one of its most 
successful practitioners. ha\ing built tip an ex- 
cellent business and gained a reputation as a 
most careful and reliable physician. In his 
professional services he has also prospered, 
meeting with success which should e\er be the 
crown of earnest, persistent and indefatigable 
effort. He is a close student and keeps abreast 
of the modern thought and investigation by his 
study of medical literature and the reading 
of medical joumals of the countrx'. 

Dr. Warner is a member of the Odd Fellows 
lodge at Bath and of the Knights of Pythias 
fraternity. He has ser\-ed through all of the 
chairs of the lodge and is past chancellor com- 
mander, while he likewise affiliates with the 
uniformed rank at Hastings. Michigan. Dur- 
ing his residence in Clinton county he has be- 
come wideh' known in this part of the state 
andthe liberal patmnage which is accorded him 
in his profession is the public recognition of his 
merit and abilitv. 



COLEMAX C. \AUGHAN. 

The journalistic interests of Clinton county 
find a worthy re])resentative in Coleman C. 
\'aughan. editor and owner of the Republican 
at St. Johns. He was born in Machias town- 
ship, Cattaraugtis county. New York, on the 
1st of August. 1857. and is a son of Chauncey 
and ]\far\- CHungerford) \'aughan. the former, 
a farmer by occupation. The .son piu'sued a dis- 
trict-.school education and afterward spent three 
terms in Tenhroeck .Academy at Franklinville. 
New York. He worked on a farm through the 
summer months and in the winter seasons pur- 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



409 



sued his studies. Before rcadiing the a^e of 
sixteen years, liowever. lie made liis way west- 
ward til Lapeer. Michigan, and learned liie 
printer's trade in the Clarion office, servinjj a 
four years' apprenticeship. In 1879 he secured 
a position as compositor in the office of the 
Detroit Free Press, where he remained for two 
years and in 1881 he went to Sardinia. Xew 
\'(iri<. where, ahandoniu!;' for a tiini.' the imir- 
nalistic field, he entered into an agreement to 
l)ecome traveling salesman for the Sardinia 
\\'cMilen IMills. Two years later he again made 
his way to Lapeer. Michigan, and purchased 
tile Clarion on which he had formerly served 
liis apprenticeship, conducting the ])a]icr fur 
eighteen months, when he sold out. In i88(j 
he came to St. J()hns and ])urchased the Kepuh- 
lican, which he has since published, giving to 
his many patrons a bright, enterprising and in- 
teresting journal, which well merits the guiirl 
circulation that is demanded l>y ;i liberal ])at- 
n inage. 

.Mr. \'augban is kmiwii as a pnlitical leader 
of ]iri iiiiinence in his sectiuii <>\ the state and 
from the 1st of Januar)-, iyo_5, until the ist of 
January, 1905, represented his district in the 
state senate on the re])ublican side ol" the house. 
He was president of the village of St. Johns for 
two terms and has lieen a member of tlie board 
of trustees of tlie Michigan .Asylum for Dan- 
gerous and Criminal Insane at Ionia. He wa< 
also a member of the lx)ard of trustees of the 
Michigan Reformatory and at this writing, in 
i(>05, is a member of the state board of health. 
His fraternal relations are with the Knights of 
Pythias, the Maccabees and the Masons and in 
the craft he has attained the degrees of Knight 
Templar and member nf the M\stic Shrine. 



WILLIAM P. LADD. 

William P. Ladd, li\-ing on section 3, Essex 
township, is one of the old settlers of Clinton 
county and during more than the Psalmist's al- 
lotted span of three score years and ten has 
li\ed in Michi.gan. He came to the state when 



it w-as yet under territorial govemment, arriv- 
ing here in 1831, and since 1866 has lived 
within the birders of Clinton county. His 
birth occurred in Warsaw, Wyoming county, 
Xew York, September 5, 1830. Samuel Ladd. 
his father, was born and reared in Vermont and 
was there married to Miss Elizabeth McNeil, a 
native of New Ilamijshire. In March, 1831, 
he came with his family to the west, settling in 
.Macomb county, where he Ixiught land and be- 
gan the develnjinicnt nf a farm, hewing out his 
fields in the midst nf the forest. Upon the 
place which he there cultivated and improved he 
reared his family and made his home until his 
lit'e's Irdiors were ended in death. He harl 
eight sons and two daughters who reached \ears 
of maturity and of this number five .sons are yet 
living. 

William P. Ladd was reared in Macomb 
ciiuiUy .and ])ursued his education in the com- 
mcin schools, lie was married there in 1858 
to Miss F.meline Skinner, a native of Michigan, 
born in Oakland county. The young couple 
began their domestic life upnn a farm in Ma- 
cnmb ciiunty. where the\' livcil for eight vears 
and in iSfiO in Clintiju cimnty Mr. Ladd pur- 
clnseil the tract of land upon which he now 
resides. It was in the mid.st of the forest and 
the rnid had been cut through only a part of the 
way. His first home was a log cabin which he 
occu])ied for several years while rearing his 
family and developing his farm. In 1875, how- 
ever, he built a good substantial two stcrv resi- 
lience, one of the best farm homes on the 
.Ma])le Rapids and Eureka road. He has 
planted an orchard, has built a granary and in 
fact has modem equipments uixm his place that 
indicate him to be one of the foremost agri- 
culturists of the community. The fields are now- 
cleared and the soil is productive so that he 
annually harvests good crops. His work has 
been guided by .sound judgment, his labors have 
lieen characterized by systematic methods and 
as the years have gone by he has won the suc- 
cess that is the legitimate outcome of j)ersistent 
and carefully directed labor. 

In 1905 Mr. Ladd was called u]xin to mourn 
the loss of his wife, who died on the 5th of 



4IO 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



May of lliat year and was laid to rest in the 
Soule cemetery, her death being deeply re- 
gretted by many friends as well as her hus- 
band and other relatives. In politics a stanch 
republican but without aspiration for office Mr. 
Ladd has given his time and labor to agricul- 
tural pursuits and is justly classed with the 
successful farmers and stock-raisers of Essex 
township. For a number of years he has been 
a member of the local Grange. From his in- 
fancv down to the present time his home has 
been in ^Michigan and he has a deep attachment 
for this great state. His memon.' forms a 
connecting link between the primitive past and 
the progressive present and he has witnessed a 
wonderful transformation as the the great for- 
ests have been cleared away, the cities and towns 
have been Iniilt and the land converted into pro- 
ductive farms. The \alue of Michigan as an 
agricultural and horticultural state has long 
since been proven and in his home locality Mr. 
Ladd has been instrumental in promoting the 
work' of public impro\ement. He is known 
for his genuine worth and fidelity to ever>' 
principle which he espouses and his actions 
ha\-e ever I)een manly and sincere, winning for 
him the friendship and regard of all with whom 
business or social relations have brought him in 
contact. 



WILLIAM H. SNELLING. 

William H. Snelling, the cashier of the State 
Savings Bank of Fowler, is one of the native 
sons of Clinton county, his birth having oc- 
airred in Elsie, on the 3th of INIarch. 1870. 
His parents were Thomas W. and Anna (Hill) 
Snelling, both natives of England, and the 
father is now living at Elsie. He came to the 
L'nited States in 1869, locating in the village 
where he yet makes his home and where he fol- 
lowed blacksmithing for about twenty years. 
His wife died in 1886 of typhoid fever, when 
thirty-eight years of age. He served as post- 
master of his town under the administration of 
President Cleveland and at the same time con- 
ducted a hardware business, while at the pres- 



ent writing he is express agent for the Pacific 
Company. In his family there ^yere three sons 
and a daughter, of whom \Mlliam H. is the 
eldest, the others being: Ernest E.. a resident 
of Elsie; Lawton, who is living in Pittsburg, 
Penn.sylvania ; and Blanch, the wife of \L R. 
^'an Deusen, of Elsie. 

William H. Snelling pursued his education 
in the common schools of his native village 
and entered business life as a newsboy, selling 
the Evening News of Detroit, the paper being 
brought by stage from Ovid. Later he secured 
a position in the bank conducted by Lee Broth- 
ers & Company, where he acted as Ixiokkeeper 
fur two years, and subsequently was in his 
father's hardware store for a year. In 1889 
he accepted a pjsition in the First National 
Bank at Ovid. ser\'ing as bookkeeper and after- 
ward as teller until December, 1S92. when he 
came to Fowler, securing the cashiership of 
the State Savings Bank here. This institu- 
tiDU was originallv started as a private bank 
l]y D. H. Power & Company in March. 1892, 
lint the following September it was merged 
into the State Savings Bank with a capital 
stock of fifteen thousand dollars. The increase 
in the volume of business since ]\Ir. Snelling 
jjecame cashier has been from twenty-eight 
thousand to two hundred thousand. The bank 
pays excellent dividends and has a surplus and 
undivided ]irofits of one-half the amount of 
its capital stock. It has gone far beyond the 
expectations of its promoters and is now one 
of the safe and reliable institutions of the 
county. The officers of the bank are : Fred K. 
Schemer, president ; Michael Spitzley, vice 
l)resident : and W. H. Snelling, cashier. 

In May, 1892, Mr. Snelling was married to 
Miss Julia Krom, a daughter of William A. 
Krom, of Elsie. She died in November, 1894, 
and on the 21st of July, 1903. Mr. Snelling 
wedded Miss Hattie M. Sage, a daughter of 
the late William H. Sage, of Fowler. In his 
political affiliation he is a republican. Mr. 
Snelling has served as village clerk and treas- 
urer and is interested in all that pertains to the 
upbuilding and improvement of his community. 
He is a man of fine personal appearance, popu- 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



4" 



lar with a larg-e circle of friends, possesses ex- 
cellent business aljility and executive force and 
is recognized as an able officer. 



TOIIX C. ODTXn. 



John C. Odinu- is the owner of eighty acres 
of land on section 32. Riley townshi]), and the 
farm is improved with good buildings which 
stand as monuments to the enterprise and thrift 
of the owner. He is one of Clinton county's 
native sons, his birth having occurred in St. 
Johns on the 26th of January, 1859. He is a 
.son of Frederick and Mary (Pinglc) Oding, 
both of whom were natives of tlie fatherland. 
Frederick Oding came to the United States in 
1854, locating at St. Johns, where for a time 
he was employed at various occupations. About 
fort\--five years ago he took up his abode on 
.section 29, Riley township, where he secured 
one hundred acres of land that was entirely 
wild and unimproved. It was covered with a 
dense gnnvth of forest trees which he had to 
clear away before he could plow the fields and 
plant his crops, and he also had to cut down 
trees in order to make a clearing whereon to 
build his cabin. He wedded Mary Pingle. who 
came from Germany when she was fourteen 
years of age and lived in New York for a time. 
.\fter her prospective husliand had prqjared a 
home for her in St. Johns he returned to the 
Empire state and later married. They became 
the parents of two sons, John C. and William 
II., the latter living in Grand Ledge, Michigan. 

John C. Oding pursued his early education in 
the district schools and also attended a select 
school. He taught for one term but when not 
occupied with the duties of the schoolroom as 
a stuflent his attention was largely given to 
work upon the home farm until twenty-two 
vears of age. He had, however, spent one 
winter as a salesman in a store in Wacousta 
and in the fall of 1882 he went to Stanton, 
Michigan, where he was also employed as a 
clerk in a general store and also in various 
other occupations. Later he purchased a gro- 



cery store which he conducted for a },ear, after 
which be was employed in a planing mill and 
sash .and blind factory. Later he bought land 
which he afterward traded for a stock of gro- 
ceries in Stanton but the following year sold 
out and ga\e bis attention to various interests 
through the succeeding year. He afterward 
spent three years as a clerk in the employ of 
I'ralt & Knight, nf Stanton, and for one and a 
half years was a salesman in the Morris dry 
goods and notion store at Big Rapids. On 
leaving that ])lace he came to Riley township 
ill 1890 and turned his attention to farming on 
a tract of eighty acres of land, which he culti- 
vated and improved until 1898, when he went 
to ^\^acousta, where be spent a few months in 
a store. The foll(jwing spring be took up his 
abode on his present farm on section 32, Riley 
township, having here eighty acres of land 
which he has develoi)ed from a wild condition 
and brought to a high state of cultivation. In 
1903 he built a modern residence which is at- 
tracti\e in its appointments and equipments. In 
1899 be erected a large and substantial bam 
and a second one in 1904. The latter was 
erected at a cost of nine hundred dollars and 
the house is valued at twelve hundred dollars. 

On the 31st of December. 1879. Mr. Oding 
was married to Miss Delia L. Burnes, a daugh- 
ter of Jerome and Mary Burnes, of Riley town- 
ship. They became the parents of three sons : 
Charles E. and the twins, Claude J. and Clyde 
F. Charles died in 1884, at the age of three 
years, and Claude in 1896, at the age of eleven 
vears. The surviving son, Clyde F., has de- 
\elnped considerable ability as an artist. 

Mr. Oiling is a member of the Masonic fra- 
ternity and also affiliates with the Modem 
W'oodmen of .\merica and the Independent 
Order of Odd Fellows. In politics he is a 
democrat and at the present writing is ser\'ing 
as justice of the peace, in which office he ren- 
ders decisions that are strictly fair and impar- 
tial, being l)ased upon the law and equity of the 
case. He has likewise Ijeen health officer and 
school treasurer. In addition to his farming 
interests Mr. Oding has the agency of the 
Piano Harvesting Machine Companv and also 



412 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



of tlie Robinson farm implements. He is a 
progressive and up-to-date agriculturalist and 
worthy citizen who has spent almost his entire 
life in Clinton county and has a wide and favor- 
able acquaintance among those who have known 
him from boyhood — a fact \vhich indicates that 
his life has been straightforwarrl and honorable. 



STUART HOFFMAN PERRY. 

Stuart Hoffman Perry, editor and pulilisher 
of the St. Johns News, was bom in Pontiac. 
Michigan, October 14, 1874, and is a son of 
.Aaron and Sally (Hoffman) Perry. In the 
paternal line the ancestry is traced back to the 
Perrys of Massachusetts and New Jersey. The 
grandparents of our subject lived in the latter 
state, whence they came to Michigan, settling 
in Oakland county, where .\aron Perry was 
Ixjrn. Preparing for the bar he is now suc- 
cessfully engaged in the practice of law and 
has been honored with a number of positions of 
public trust. He holds two degrees from the 
I'ni\ersity of ^Lichigan. He married Miss 
Sally Hoffman, a descendant of the Stuarts, 
who emigrated to North Carolina in the eight- 
eenth century. Both Mr. and Mrs. .\aron 
Perry are now residents of Pontiac. 

In the public schools of that city Stuart H. 
Perry acquired his earlv education and was 
gradtiated from the high school in the class of 
1889, when fourteen years of age. He received 
the degree of I'achelor of .\rts in the Uni\ersity 
of Michigan in 1894 ruid the degree of Bachelor 
of Laws was conferred upon him in 1896. at 
which time he completed some jiost-graduate 
work in history. .\t lirst his tastes seemed 
strongly in scientific lines. He displayed special 
aptitude in his school work in the .sciences and 
he was a member of the .\merican Microscop- 
ical Society and other scientific bodies. He 
carried his researches and investigations along 
original lines as well as in paths that others had 
trod and he published a number of papers on 
microscop)- and geology. He was also inter- 
ested in literature and journalism even in his 



college days and was editor of several student 
publications and the author of numerous arti- 
cles of a literary and critical character. 

On leaving die University of Michigan Mr. 
Pern,- at once entered upon the practice of law 
in ]3artnership with his father and continued 
actively at the bar until 1900 e.xcept for the 
period which he spent abroad. His first ap- 
])earance in a courtnxim of any kind was when 
he entered the Michigan supreme court to argue 
a case. This was certainly a no\el experience, 
fi'r the trial nf Supreme court cases usually 
ccinies after long experience in lower courts. 
In July. 1900, he became actively interested in 
journalism and associated with Hany Coleman 
of Pontiac, fomierly of St. Johns, organized the 
Pontiac Publishing Company and soon after- 
ward became managing editor of the Daily 
Press and the Oakland County Post. In May. 
T892, he purchased the St. Johns News and 
remuxed to this city. The paper has an e.xtraor- 
<linary circulation for one of its class and is 
well known in journalistic circles. Mr. Perry 
mnv gi\'es his entire attention to the ])aper, 
ha\'ing but limited interests in either business 
enterj^rises. 

In p(ilitic;il tlmught and action he has always 
been inde])endent, never being permanently 
identified with rmy party. He has contended for 
an independent ballot in munici]);il and state 
elections where no issue oi national pulitics is 
in\'ol\-ed, nor does he lielieve in stringent party 
ties e\en in natinnal affairs. I'raternidly a 
Master Mascjn, he belongs to Pontiac lodge, 
V. ik A. M.. and he likewise has membership 
relations with .St. Johns tent of Maccabees and 
St. Johns cam]) of Modern W'ondmen. His 
religions faith is indicated by his membership 
in the Episcopal church. 

In 1896 Mr. Perry was married to Miss 
.\land v.. Caldwell, a daughter of Dr. William 
C. Caldwell, of b^remnnt. Ohio, and they have 
line child, l-'lizabeth. born in Octol)er. T900. 
.Mrs. Perry is a lady of sn])erior liter- 
ary tastes and talents and is the author 
I if numerous stories and jjoems published 
in the Centurw .\tlantic and other lead- 
ing magazines of the country. Mr. Perry 



1 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



413 



has found one oi liis diief sources of pleasure 
and recreation, as well as of knowledg'e. in 
tra\el and visited many parts of the United 
States. Mexico. Canada and Europe. In Mex- 
ico he ascended l'opocata])etl. then lielieved to 
he tiic hifihcst mountain in North America. 
Mr. and Mrs. i'erry spent the winter and sprinjj 
of 1H97 at (iulf coast resorts and the year 1899 
traveliufj in Euro])e. He has also made many 
shorter excursions for the purpo.se of collecting 
fossils with his father, who is also an enthusiast 
in geologv and has a \ery tine collection of 
specimens and a s])lendid scientific lihraiy. The 
variety of Mr. Perry's ex[)eriences and his 
knowledge of se\eral languages makes him a 
readv writer on a wide range of topics. Both 
he and his wife ])ossess considerahle musical 
talent and are prominent socially in this p;u"t 
of the state. 



(^I,I\'ER CrXXlXr.TI AM. 

Oliver (."unningham, one ot the active 
farmers of Lehanon township, owns and oper- 
ates eighty acres on section 10. He has lived 
in .Michigan since 1853 and in Clinton county 
since I'"eliruary. i860. His hirth occurred in 
W'estc^iester county, Xew York. Fehniary 25. 
1831. liis father. ()li\er Cunningham, was 
horn in the same county in 1 79,V and was mar- 
ried there to Miss .\nn Moshier, likewise a 
native of that county. The father followed 
farming there for many years and reared his 
family there. He was twice married. 

Oliver Cunningham, the youngest of the 
eight children of the first marriage, spent his 
IxA'hood and youtii in Westchester county and 
after ])utting aside his text-books he learned 
tile moider's trade in I''eekskiH, following tiiat 
pursuit for a few years, in early maniiood lie 
came to the west, arriving in Ionia. Michigan, 
in 1833. He was tliere employed in a lumber 
vard for a few years and subse(|uentiy settled 
in Hul)i)ardston. wliere he engaged in the ium- 
iier Inisiness. In 18^10 he took uj) his aiiode 
on a farm, in the meantime he iiail lieen mar- 
ried on the 13th of .\])rii, 185", in Clinton 



county, to Mrs. Margaret Cronkite, a widow, 
who was Ixirn and reared in Pennsylvania. Mr. 
Cunningham continueil farming until Novem- 
ber jf}. 1861. wiien he joined Battery E, of the 
I'irst .Michigan Light .Vrtilleiy and went to 
the south. He was in active service in Ken- 
tucky. Tennessee. Mississippi, .\labama and 
( ieorgia. lie acted on detached duty for some 
time and for eight months was with the regu- 
lars of the United States Artillery. He took 
I)art in a number of skinnishes. in tiie last ijattle 
of Xa.siiville and was on many hard marclies 
and raids. He met the usual hardshi])s meted 
I lUt ti I the soldier and for si.x weeks was ill in 
the field hosjiital at .Murfreesi>oro, Tennessee, 
after wliich he was transferred to the hospital 
at Xash\ille. He servetl until the close of the 
war. having veteranized, at which time he re- 
turned to liis home on a thirty day's furlougii. 
He later took part in the battle at Nashville and 
at the close of the war was mu.stered out and 
honorahiy discharged at Jackson. Miciiigan. in 
.\ugnst. 1863. 

Mr. Cunningliam then returned to his farm, 
where he cleared his land, grubbed out the 
stumps and tilled tiie soil until his place bore 
little resemblance to the land whicli came into 
his jxissession so many years ago. .\t one time 
he was a memlier of Essex (jrange for a num- 
ber of years and was identified with other 
farmers' clubs. One child was Ixirii unto Mr. 
and .Mrs. Cunningham. William J., who died 
at the age of two years, and the wife and 
UKither passed away June 4, 1892. He has an 
adopted <iaugiiter. Jennie S.. who was reared 
and educated i)y .Mr. and Mrs. Cunningliam, 
and who became the wife of Eugene F. Decker. 
He died in 1888 leaving two children. Clara .\. 
and Clyde W. Decker. 

In his political \ iew s Mr. Cunningham was 
originally a whig and cast his first presidential 
ballot for General Winfield Scott in 1852. In 
the meantime his ]K)litical views underwent a 
change and he es|Kiused the cause of the new 
rejuiblican party, supixirting John C. -Fremont 
and each presidential candidate since that time. 
He belongs t<> the Methodist Ej)isc<>pal churcli 
of Hubbardston. of which his wife was also a 



414 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



member, and he joined the Odd Fellows lodge 
at Maple Rapids and has filled all of its chairs, 
acting as past grand and also as representative 
to the grand lodge. He is also connected with 
the encampment and has been chief patriarch 
and high priest, while for twenty-nine tenns he 
served as warden. Through his membership 
relations in the Grand Army post at Maple 
Rapids, which he joined on its organization, he 
is yet actively associated with his old army com- 
rades and greatly enjoys the camp fires, wherein 
are recalled the scenes and incidents that oc- 
curred on the battle-field of the south. 



W. \'. CASE. 



\\'. V. Case, whose farm lies on section 2. 
Dewitt township, and comprises one hundred 
and fifty-seven acres within three miles of the 
village of Dewitt, is known as a practical agri- 
culturist, so directing his labors that excellent 
resvilts follow. His birth occurred in Clinton 
county. July 18, 1863. upon the farm where he 
still resides and he represents one of the early 
families of this portion of the state. His father, 
Marion Case, was also a native of Michigan, 
bom in \\'ashtenaw county, whence he came to 
Clinton county in 1857 with his father, Hiram 
Case. Our subject's great-grandfather. \\'ill- 
iam Case, who was a native of Massachusetts, 
spent his last days in Washtenaw countv, this 
state, his home being in Saline. As a surveyor 
he laid off a large portion of Clinton county 
and became the owner of considerable land 
here, though he never resided thereon. Marion 
Case, however, cleared and developed this 
property and became one of the substantial 
agriculturists of the community. He was mar- 
ried here to Miss Esther Lemm. 

On the old family homestead W. \'. Case 
was reared and he assisted in the arduous task 
of preparing the land for the plow and adding 
modern *cquipmcnts and improvements to the 
farm. Tn 1894 he purchased the farm from his 
father and has since continued its further devel- 
opment and imi^rnvement. His progressive 



spirit is indicated in the substantial residence 
upon the place and the large barn and the well 
kept fences. Neat and thrifty in every depart- 
ment, the farm is indeed a valuable one of this 
part of the state. 

As a companion and helpmate for life's 
journey Mr. Case chose Miss Mar\- Treadwell. 
the wedding being celebrated in Olive town- 
ship. She was born in Cajiiga county. New 
York, but was reared and educated in this 
county, and is a daughter of John Treadwell, 
wiio came here in 1868. Mr. and Mrs. Case 
have one child. Ethel. In his fraternal rela- 
tions Mr. Case is connected with Dewitt lodge, 
F. and A. M., while he and his wife are mem- 
bers of the Eastern Star and his political alle- 
giance is given to the democracy where na- 
tional issues are involved but at local elections 
he votes independently, considering only the 
cai)ability of the candidate. His friends are 
many Ijecause he has always lived in this 
county and because his life has been in harmony 
with the principles that ever command respecr 
and esteem. 



HERBERT J. HOLMES. 

Herbert J. Holmes, living on section 17, 
Duplain town.ship, has farming interests which 
make him a representative citizen, his pos- 
sessions covering one hundred acres that con- 
stitutes a valuable property, owing to the care 
which he takes of it and the modern methods 
which he follows in all of his work. A native 
of Ohio, he was born in Columbiana county, 
on the 3d of May, 1850. his parents being 
George and Eliza Holmes. The father was a 
native of Binningham. England, and came to 
the Lhnted States about 1845. He was mar- 
ried in his native city to Miss Eliza G. Packer, 
also a native of England and a daughter of 
Tlmnias Packer. George Holmes was a 
stationary engineer in his native land, serving 
a seven years" ai)pi"cnticeshi]) tn tint bu-^iness 
and after his marriage he worked for two years 
in England at his trade. He then came to 



t 




iMR. AND MRS. GEORGE HOLMES. 




FOLK GENERATIONS OF THE HOLMES FA^HLV 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



419 



America, hoping tliat lie might provide a better 
living for his family in the new world. Lo- 
cating at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, he was there 
employed as an engineer for some time ;uid 
later went to Ohio, where he worked for several 
years running a steamlioat on the Ohio river. 
In 1S54 he came to Michigan and bought land 
in Clinton county, after which he followed farm- 
ing as well as working at his trade. Unto him 
and his wife were torn two sons and two 
daughters, of whom three are living. 

Herbert J. Holmes remained with his father 
and assisted him in operating the farm. lie 
had common-school advantages and in the 
school of experience he learned many valuable 
lessons. In 1868 he purchased eighty acres of 
land, where he now resides and while carrying 
on general agricultural pursuits he also oper- 
ated a sawmill for some years and likewise was 
connected with railroad work to some extent. 
Since buying the farm Mr. Holmes has added 
twenty acres to the original tract and has 
erected a story and a half frame residence. He 
has also built a barn and different outbuildings, 
has planted an orchard, has set out much small 
fruit and raises some good stock, keeping on 
hand a number of cows for dairy purposes. His 
fields, too, are well tilled and return him good 
crops, and his lators have made him one of 
the substantial citizens of his community. 

In 1 87 1 Mr. Holmes was united in marriage 
to Miss Maiy J. Brown, a native of New York 
and n daughter of George \V. Brown, who 
came to Clinton county in the early '50s. There 
was one child by that marriage. Professor Ells- 
worth G. Holmes, who was a school teacher at 
Mani??tee, Michigan, and is now principal of 
liie Bear Lake high school. The wife and 
mother died in 1875, and on the 2d of July. 
1879, Mr. Holmes was again married, his sec- 
ond union being with Miss Lillie .\. Watson, 
a native of Ohio, and a daughter of Hugh 
Watson, who was born in Scotland and became 
one of the early settlers of the Buckeye state. 
Mr. and Mrs. Holmes have two children, Mar- 
garet and Josephine, who are now successful 
school teachers in Clinton county. Politically 
Mr. Holmes is a stanch republican, always sup- 



[jorting the meii and measures of the party, 
though he is without political aspiration for 
himself. He and his wife and their family are 
niemliers of the Methodist Episcopal church of 
Duplain and are prominent and representative 
people of the community, who occupy an 
en\iable position in social circles, the hospitality 
of the best homes of this part of the county 
being freely accorded them. 



GER.MAN SYPHER. 



German Sypher. living on section 36, Olive 
township, is classed with the prosperous farm- 
ers of his community and moreover he owes 
his success largely to his own well directed 
labors. He now has one hundred and fifteen 
acres of land which is rich and arable on sec- 
tion 36 and he dates his residence in the county 
from 1869. A native of New York, he was 
born in Dutchess county near Poughkeepsie, 
.\pril 4, 1825. and is therefore at this writing 
more than eighty years of age but is yet a hale 
and hearty man of bright mind and steady hand. 
His father, W"illiam Sypher, was also a native 
of Dutchess county. New York, and the grand- 
father was Samuel Sypher, who came of Ger- 
man ancestry. The family was established at 
a verj' early day in Dutchess county, where 
some of the representatives of the name still 
reside. 

In the place of his nativity German Sypher 
was reared and after arriving at years of ma- 
turity he was married to Miss Mary Elizabeth 
Risley, who was bom in Hyde Park, Dutchess 
county, New York, January 13, 1832. Her 
father, William Risley, was likewise a native 
of that locality, while her grandfather, Andrew 
Risley, was a pioneer settler there. William 
Risley married .\melia Sleight, who was also 
born and reared in Dutchess count)'. Follow- 
ing his marriage Mr. Sypher took up his abode 
on a farm in the county of his nativity. In 
early life he had learned the blacksmith's trade, 
which he followed for a number of years but 
eventually he turned his attention to agricul- 



420 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



tiiral pursuits and was thus engaged until 1872. 
wlien he left the Empire state and came to 
Michigan. In that year he purchased the farm 
upon which he now resides and with the aid 
of his sons he cut down the trees, cleared the 
land and plowed and planted the fields, thus in 
course of time opening up a g(x)d farm. For 
a numher of years he lived in a log house but 
later built a good, neat and sul)stantial resi- 
dence, also liuilt a commodious bam and other 
outbuildings. ]ilanted ornamental trees and .set 
out an orchard. In early days the family ex- 
perienced many hardships and prix'ations inci- 
dent to frontier life but in the course of years 
these gave way l)efore the improvements of an 
advancing civilization. Ox teams were used in 
earlv vears for all the work of the farm but 
now the land is well cleared of timber and 
stumps and the fields yield abundant crops. 
giving a rich harvest for the labor bestowed 
thereon. 

Mr. and Mrs. Sypher became the parents of 
four children: William E.. who is assisting to 
carry on the home farm; Carrie, the wife of 
Joseph Graham, of Lansing: Esther Doty, the 
wife of John T. Bird, of Dutchess county, New 
York, their home being at Rhineclifif; and Mil- 
ton, who is married and is a substantial farmer 
of Olive town.ship. They also lost a daughter, 
Sarah, who died at die age of five years. One 
of the treasured possessions in the Sypher home 
is a Bible which is an old heirloom in the family 
and contains the family record written in the 
German text. The pages are yellow with age, 
for the Bible has had an existence of one hun- 
dred and seventy years, having been published 
in Berlin in the German tongue. It is a large 
and well bound volume, the co\-ers fastening 
\\ith clasps and well may be prized in the fam- 
ily. Mr. Sypher and .sons are stanch repub- 
licans and ne\er falter in their allegiance to 
the principles of the party but they do not care 
for office, preferring to give their undivided 
attentions to their business interests. They are 
also members of the Maccabees tent and Mrs. 
Sypher is a member of the Methodist Episcopal 
church. Mr. Sypher has led an upright, honor- 
able life and now at the advanced age of eighty 



years receives the veneration and respect which 
should ever be accorded one who has traveled 

thus far on life's iourne\'. 



FR.VXK WADSWORTH UPTON. 

The subject of this sketch was born in 
Charlemout. Franklin county, Massachusetts, 
on the 1 6th day of Januaiy. 1849, to be exact. 
about nine o'clock in the evening, and has dur- 
ing his whole career ijreferred the evening to 
the early morning for the activities of life. He 
is the eldest son of Josiah Upton, who has been 
a resident i)f St. Johns since 1868 and is else- 
where represented in this Ixiok. His parents 
removed to \'ictor, Michigan, in 1856, after 
which year his time was divided between at- 
tending di.strict school and driving o.xen until 
about fifteen years of age, when he was fitted 
out with two suits of homemade clothes and 
sent to Olivet to school. Here he remained 
tin"ough three college years. Most of his time 
was devoted to the study of Caesar's account of 
the Gallic wars. Cicero's orations, etc., in Latin, 
,ind Zenophon's Anabasis, in Greek. He has 
succeeded in forgetting all the Greek and most 
of the Latin and has always regretted that his 
time had not lieen given to the study of the 
natural sciences. In the fall of 1867 he went 
to Syracuse, New York, and took a course in 
shordiand. extending through ten months, at 
Ames" Business College: taught a district 
school in Bingham township during the winter 
of 1868: continued his studies for a time under 
the tutelage of Rev. Tudiill, of St. Johns: and 
in May, 1S70, married Sarah Ellen Scull, of 
Victor, and moved upon the farm where he had 
been raised, which was still the property of his 
father and his uncle. James Upton. Here he 
remained during four years, working the farm 
summers and manufacturing ox-bows for the 
himlier woods each winter. 

In August, 1874, he accepted a call to be- 
come stenographer in the office of .\shle}' Pond 
and Heniy B. Brown, of Detroit, where he re- 
mained for about six years, or until the spring 



PAST AXl) I'RESEXT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



421 



of 1880. During nearly llie uhnle ot tliis pe- 
riod he took the testimony in the office of Hove\' 
K. Clarke, register in bankruptcy, and at times 
reported in all the courts in the city. He was 
also during the major jiart of this time stenog- 
ra])her to Mr. E. W . Meddaugh. general solic- 
itor of the (Irand Trunk Railway. Leaving De- 
troit in the spring of 1X80, he hjught a tract 
of two thousand six hundred acres of land in 
Seward county, Neliraska, and removed thereto. 
He was soon after followed hv his brotiier Ar- 
thur, with whom he divided the tract equall}'. 
In the purchase and subse(|uent improvement of 
this property they were largely assisted by 
funds furnished l)y their father. .Xhout fifteen 
miles of wire fence was built and the land 
broken up and farmed. |)roducing one season 
over four hundred acres of corn. It was a 
stock farm and carried cattle, sheep, horses and 
hogs. As high as eighty head of steers were 
fattened in a winter. Soon after the imjxjrta- 
tion of heavy draft hor.ses to this country began 
Frank Upton bought the Shire stallion Temple 
Bruer and this was afterwards followed by the 
purchase of others until he became the owner 
and manager of six Shire stallions and four 
pure bred Shire mares. The heaviest mare 
weighed nineteen hundred, the heaviest horse 
two thou-sand and five. .Ml these operations 
were carried on with varying success until 
1893, at which time the he:ivy indebtedness he 
was carrying antl a series of crop faiures made 
it apparent that the enterprise would have to be 
wound up. This he did and returned to the 
practice of shorthand reporting, locating in Chi- 
cago, after having worked a part of a year in 
Grand Rapids. During the six years that he 
remained in Chicago he occupied an office with 
a master in chancery. Hiram Barber, taking the 
testimfiny for the master and doing general 
court reporting, including the work of the 
Grand Trunk Railway Company. 

Before the end of the six years last men- 
tioned Mr. L'pton's love for treading on God's 
green earth and of rearing the domestic animals 
overcame his l<ne of short-hand and the city 
and he again returned to \ictor, Michigim, and 
to the farm where he was brought up; he, in 



company with his brother Albert, who is at 
l)resenl residing at .Sault Slo. .Marie, having 
T.ougbt the farm from their uncle. James Upton. 
'The breeding of pure llerkshire swine is the 
sijccialty on this farm. Politically Mr. Upton 
is a reiaiblican : belongs to the Masonic frater- 
nity, to the Royal .\rcanum and the Grange. 
While living in Chicago he took a course at 
.1111 1 graduated from the Chicago Institute of 
1 'iircnology. While ne\er making phrenology' 
a profession he is competent to give reliable ex- 
aminations and takes pleasure in doing so. Mr. 
and Mrs. I'pton have but one son, Torrence W., 
who is a machinist, following his trade in Buf- 
falo. Xew N'ork. 



JOSIAH IPTOX. 

Josiah I'pton. for three terms county treas- 
urer and two terms de[)uty county treasurer, 
and a resident of St. Johns since 1868, is a 
native of Heath ti>wnship. I'ranklin county, 
.Massachusetts. He was born April 5, 1824, 
his parents lieing Elias and Tryphena (Hatha- 
way) Upton, al.so natives of the Old Bay state, 
where they lived until 1856, when they came 
to Clinton county, Michigan, and settled in 
Victor township in the month of December. 
The father, during his whole career, was a 
farmer, iuit after his removal to Michigan made 
his home with his sons James and Josiah upon 
the two hundred and tliirty-five acres which 
constituted their farm. He continued to be a 
resident of Victor up to the time of his death 
at the age of eighty-five. His wife had de- 
parted this life two years previously. The\ 
were the parents of eleven cihldren, of whom 
three are living: Josiah Upton being the fifth 
in order of birth in the family. Hannah N. is 
now the wife of Elisha Edwards, of Victor 
township, and Carrie is the wife of Alonzo 
Passage, of Victor township. Those deceased 
are: Tryphena H.. who married Shadrach B. 
Upton: Emily, the wife of Samuel Booth; 
.Sarah, who married Justin \V. Beckwith; 
lames: Hart L. : Roswell. wlio died in MiMi- 
lana ; and Martha, who died in infancy. 



422 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



Josiah Upton acquired such an education 
as was afforded l)y the district schools of 
his native state and remained upon the 
home faiTn until twenty-three years of age. 
He then engaged in the manufacture of 
scythe-snaths in Massachusetts. at which 
occupation he acquired a considerable sum 
of money for those days, and in 1856 
came to the west, where he with his father, 
brothers and cousin, Horace Upton, bought a 
large tract of land which was divided among 
them and out of which they made farms, most 
of the same being forest at the time. Josiah 
Upton remained upon the farm twelve years 
when, having been elected treasurer of Clinton 
county, he removed to St. Johns. He was 
twice re-elected by increased majorities. Fol- 
lowing the close of his third term he served as 
deputy county treasurer under David S. French. 
He was also seven times elected to the office of 
supervisor of Bingham township, serving for 
six consecutive terms. His other public ser\r- 
ice has been that of village school director, 
which position he filled for nearly a score of 
years. He has been a lifelong republican and 
in his religious belief a Unitarian. 

In 1874 Mr. Upton engaged in merchandis- 
ing as a dealer in dry goods in St. Johns, form- 
ing a partnership with Jesse Dunn, under the 
firm style of Dunn & Upton. In recent years he 
has been engaged in lumbering and managing 
estates entrusted to his care. He has had an 
eventful career financially, having made and 
lost considerable money. He is now, however, 
in comfortable financial circumstances. He was 
one of the organizers of the First National 
Bank of St. Johns and for a time president of 
the same, and has been a promoter of other 
enterprises of importance in the commercial de- 
velopment and progress of the city. At all 
times he has been recognized as a man of un- 
questioned integrity, standing high in public 
regard. 

In October, 1845, Mr. Upton was married 
to Miss Deborah Carroll, daughter of Abijah 
Carroll, of Rowe, Massachusetts. She died the 
following year, and in 1847 he was married to 
Nancy S. Woodbury, of Brattleboro, Vermont, 



who died twenty-three years ago. Their chil- 
dren were Frank W., now a farmer of Victor 
township: Albert B., who is living at Sault Ste. 
Marie; and .Arthur E., a resident of Lincoln, 
Nebraska. In 1883 he was married to Ellen 
D. Severance, of Shelburne Falls. Massachu- 
setts, and they are now enjoying their very 
comfortable home, which has been materially 
improved and motleniized during recent years. 
Mr. I'pton has long been well known in politi- 
cal and business circles in St. Johns and is 
numbered among the influential and valued citi- 
zens of Clinton county. 



WILLIAM H. HOLMES. 

William H. Holmes, who is serving for the 
third term as township treasurer of Eagle town- 
ship and makes his home on section 32, where 
he is extensivel}' engaged in fanning, was born 
in Oneida township, Eaton county, Michigan, 
on the 19th of September, 1861. His parents, 
Anson T. and Sylvia (Henry) Holmes, were 
also natives of Michigan, the former a native 
of Washtenaw county and the latter of Eaton 
county. In 1854 the father removed to Clinton 
county with his parents, settling on section 32, 
Eagle township, and purchased one hundred 
and sixty acres of land where he lived on this 
and the adjoining farm until 189 1, when he 
moved to Grand Ledge. He died at that place 
in May, 1901, at the age of sixty-six years, and 
is still survived by his wife, who resides in 
Grand Ledge. Calvin Holmes, the paternal 
grandfather, was a native of New York and 
brought his family to Michigan in 1834, where 
he lived to the advanced age of ninety-four 
years, while his wife, Sylvia Maltby, passed 
away at the age of seventy-eight years. In 
their family were the following named : Lovisa, 
the wife of Henr}- Swegles, of Eaton county, 
Michigan; Wilson, who is living in Ludington, 
Michigan; Rosina, deceased; Mrs. Sarah Van 
Leuvan, a widow ; Lutlier, of Grand Ledge ; 
Willis, deceased ; and Elizabeth Robinson. 

William H. Holmes, whose name introduces 
this review, is indebted to the district schools 



1 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



423 



for the eduantional privileges he enjoyed, and 
throiigli the i)eriod of vaaitions he engaged in 
fanning on the old homestead, thus becoming 
familiar with all the duties and labors that fell 
to the lot of the agriculturist. In 1885 he 
began farming on his own account on forty 
acres of land and in 1901 he added to his prop- 
erty nearly all of the old homestead farni on 
section 32, Eagle township, so that he now has 
a valuable property which is productive by rea- 
son of the care and labor he has bestowed upon 
it. He is a thorough up-to-date fanner, pains- 
taking and careful in the management of his 
business, jiractical and progressive in all that 
he does and his efforts have been resultant fac- 
tors in winning his success. 

On the 10th of June, 1885. Mr. Holmes was 
married to Miss Lena Steams, a daughter of 
Thompson Stearns, of Eagle. In politics he is 
a republican, prominent in the local ranks of 
his party. He has served as justice of the peace 
for two terms and as a member of the board of 
reviews and in 1901 was elected treasurer of 
Eagle township, which office he held two terms 
and is now serving for the third term. He is 
prompt and faithful in the performance of all 
his public duties and the trust reposed in him 
is well merited. He belongs to the Grange, has 
been identified with the Independent Order of 
Odd Fellows for ten years and is a member of 
the Universalist church of Eagle. 



EUGENE LOTT. 



Eugene Lott, whose home is on section 3, 
Dewitt township, is one of the young and ac- 
tive farmers here and his possessions include 
one hundred and sixty acres of valuable and 
well improved land conveniently located about 
three miles from the village of Dewitt. Clinton 
county numbers him among her native sons, for 
his birth ocairred upon this farm, January 8, 
1870. His father, William Lott, was a native 
of Canada, bom November 4, 1830, and a son 
of Benjamin Lott, who was likewise bom in 
that country. The latter, removing with his 
family to Michigan, became one of the early 
27 



settlers of Ingham county, his home being near 
L-msing. Subsequently he purchased the land 
and located on the fann now owned and occu- 
pied by Eugene Lott and here he opened up a 
farm in the midst of the wildemess, making it 
a good property. He entirely transformed its 
appearance, for it was once covered with a 
dense growth of forest trees, the foliage teing 
so thick that the sun's rays could hardly pene- 
trate, but in the course of years rich harvests 
were gathered there and it was found that the 
soil was very productive. 

It was upon this farm that William Lott 
was reared and he assisted his father in clear- 
ing and improving the property. He was mar- 
ried in Clinton county to Miss Ervilla Preston, 
whose birth occurred in New York, January 
12, 1830. and who was a daughter of Freeman 
Preston. William Ixitt succeeded to his father's 
old place and Iniilt thereon a large and at- 
tracti\e brick residence, while in the rear he 
placed good barns and other substantial out- 
buildings. He also set out an orchard, planted 
small fruit and carried on the fann work in 
such a manner as to make this a valuable prop- 
erty, while his labors brought him a rich return 
in good crops. He died here, March 28. 1896, 
and is still survived by his widow, who makes 
her home with her son Eugene. There were 
but two children in the family, the brother being 
Jay Lott. who resides in Toledo, Ohio. 

Eugene Lott was reared to manhood on the 
old family homestead and acquired his educa- 
tion in the district schools, remaining with his 
father until his death, during which time he 
was trained to habits of industry, economy and 
perseverance, which have borne rich fruit in 
later years. He succeeded to the ownership of 
the old home place and his time has been given 
to its further development and improvement. 
Everj'thing displays a well carefl for condition 
and the buildings and fences are kept in good 
repair. Mr. Lott is indeed one of the prosper- 
ous fanners of his community, practical in his 
methods, which prove resultant factors in his 
gratifying success. 

On the 9th of January. 1888, in Dewitt 
township, when eighteen years of age, Eugene 



424 



PAST AXD PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



L<jtt was united in marriage to Miss ]\Iamie 
Henderson, a native of Clinton county. She 
was reared and educated here, a daughter of 
Ephraim Henderson, of this township. One 
child graces this marriage. Merle L. They lost 
their first horn. Rex, who died at the age of 
six months. Politically Mr. Lott is a democrat 
but without aspiration for public office. His 
fraternal relations, however, connect him with 
the Modern W'oodmen and the Grange, and he 
is well and fa\'orably known in the county 
where his entire life has been passed. 



M.VRTIN WELLER, M. D. 

Dr. Martin Weller. who has figured promi- 
nently for a number of years in connection with 
the practice of medicine and surgeiy in St. 
Johns and \vlio.se close adherence to a high 
standard of professional ethics has gained him 
the good will and unqualified regard of his 
lirethren (if the fraternity, was born upon a 
farm in Bengal township, Clinton county, about 
six miles from the county seat. His natal day 
was .\pril ji, 1854. and his parents were -\n- 
drew and Charlotte ( Nicliols) Weller, both na- 
tives of Livingston county. New York. The 
\\'eller family is of German lineage and was es- 
tablished in America by the great-great-grand- 
father of Dr. W^eller. Early representatives 
of the name in this country lived in Xew Jersey 
and from that state the grandfather removed to 
Xew York, where he si:)ent the remainder of 
his life. In his family were twelve children, all 
of whom ha\e passed away with the exception 
of Caroline, the wife of A. D. Webster, of St. 
Johns. One son, Calvin Weller, died in the 
Civil w^ar. It was to this family that Andrew 
Weller belonged, being the second in order of 
birth. He married Charlotte Nichols, a repre- 
sentative of an old Vermont family that after- 
ward remo\ed to Ne\\' York. Mr. and Mrs. 
.Andrew Weller came to Clinton county in 1848, 
settling on a farm in the midst of the forest. 
There was onlv a path marked by blazed trees 
wherebv he could find his way to his claim. 



The father removed to this count v after a resi- 
dence of about a year in the southern part of 
the state and he at once Ijegan to clear and de- 
velop his one-hundred-acre-tract of land, trans- 
forming it into pmductive fields from which as 
the years went by he gathered good harvests 
that found a ready sale on the market and made 
him a substantial agriculturist of his com- 
munit}'. In an early dav he served as treasurer 
in his town.ship and at the first election of the 
towu-shi]) in which he voted there were only 
nineteen votes cast. The men who thus exer- 
cised their right of suffrage spent the remain- 
der of the day in .shooting at a mark. Mr. 
Weller gave his political allegiance to the 
democracy and from early boyhood initil old 
age he was a consistent member of the Metho- 
dist church. He died on the old homestead 
July 3, 1902, at the age of eighty-one years 
and his wife passed away on the 20th of Janu- 
.iry previous, at the age of eighty years. 

Dr. Weller was the third in order of birth 
in his father's famil}' numbering fovu' sons. 
P'ranklin, the eldest, was injured in a foundry 
and died at St. Johns in 1901. at the age of 
fifty-two years. George diet! at the age of 
two years. Willard M. is a practicing physi- 
cian at Ithaca, Michigan. 

Dr. Weller pursued his early education in 
the common schools of Clinton county and l)y 
private study fitted himself for teaching, which 
profession he followed for three years in the 
district schools. He attended the Michigan 
University at .\nn Arbor in order to prepare 
for his chosen ]mifession, matriculating in the 
medical department in 1878 and completing the 
regular course there in 1881. He began prac- 
tice at Fowler in the spring of 1882, spending 
four and a half years there and in December, 
1886, he came to St. Johns, where he has since 
maintained his office at the place where he first 
located on entering upon his professional ca- 
reer here. During recent years he has given 
considerable attention to surgery and his accu- 
rate knowledge of anatomy and the component 
l)arts of the human Ixuly combined with a 
nicetv of touch and a ]irecision in the handling 
of the delicate surgical instruments make him 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



425 



especially sl<illtul in this branch of professional 
work. lie likewise enjoys a large general 
practice, his career in the profession being- 
crowned with a gratifying measure of success. 
I'"iir two years he served as jjresident of the 
Clinton County Medical Society, was its secre- 
tary for several years and is a memlier of the 
Michigan State Medical Society and .\merican 
Medical Association. 

Dr. W'eller was married in 188 1 to Miss 
Emma L. Pulfrey, a daughter of A. Pulfrey. of 
the .state of New York, and they have one .son. 
Carl \'ernon. who was graduate<l from the high 
school at St. Johns in 1904 and is now teaching 
in that institution. Dr. W'eller belongs to the 
Knights of Pythias fraternity and is a promi- 
nent member nf the Methodist Episcopal church 
with which he has Ijeen identified since his boy- 
hood days. He is a man of strong personality, 
wielding a wiilc influence in public affairs as a 
private citizen yet ne\er seeking the reputation 
that comes thmugh office holding, as he has 
always preferred lo concentrate his energies 
upon his professional duties, fully realizing the 
responsibilit)' and obligations that devoUe ujion 
him in this connection. 



CL.\YTOX A. SIIERMA.X. 

Clayton A. Sherman, a iiromineut business 
man of b'.lsie. acti\ely connected with the lum- 
ber traile. has li\ed liere since October. 1901. 
an<l is a \alued ad<lition to business circles. He 
is a native son of Michigan, his birth h.ning 
occurred in Shiawassee county, on the ist of 
March. i8to. His father, .\lbert Sherman, 
was a native of Ohio and was there reared, 
coming to Michigan when a young man. He 
was marrieil in Shiawassee county alx)ut 1838 
to Miss Nancy J. I'rain. whose birth occurred 
in that county, and who was a daughter of Solo- 
mon h'rain, one of the first .settlers of the state. 
.Mbert Sherman following his marriage took 
up his abode on a farm in Shiawassee county, 
the land belonging to his father-in-law. This 
he cultivated for a few years, when alxjut 1863 



he b(jught land in Duplain township, Clinton 
county, and opened up a farm. Later he owned 
three farms and became one of the prosperous 
and well-to-do agriculturists of this part of the 
state, his landed ixjssessions aggregating four 
hundred and eighty acres. He reared his fam- 
ily on the old homestead and in his business 
affairs he prospered. In 1901 he removed to 
Elsie, where his death occurred on the 6th of 
March, 1904. He was three times married and 
b}- the first union there was one son. while 
three children were born of the second mar- 
riage, of whom two are living. 

Clayton .\. Sherman, whose name introduces 
this review, was reared upon the old homestead 
farm and acquired a district-.school education 
which he supplementeil by study in the high 
.school at Elsie. He remained with his father 
until twenty-two years of age and then started 
out in life on his own account. He owned a 
tract of land in Duplain township, at first hav- 
ing but forty acres but to this he afterward 
added as his financial resources made (xissible 
additional |)urcha.ses. 

In 1884 Mr. Slieriuan was married in Green- 
bush township to Miss Ctira .\. Leach, a na- 
tive of Ohio, who, however, was reared in 
Michigan, her father. Willis Leach, coming 
from the lUickeye state to Michigan at an early 
day. He owned and <iperated a sawmill, Ijeing 
successfully engaged in the manufacture of 
lumber, .\fter his luarriage Mr. Sherman 
bought another farm of eighty acres, carrying 
on lx)th places. He built a bam on each, also 
a granary, fenced the land, .set out orchards 
and continued actively in fanu work until the 
fall of 1901. when he rented his land and pur- 
chased the lumber yard in Elsie. Taking 
charge of the business, he has since successfully 
conducted it and has a well equipped yard, car- 
rying a full line of lumber and Imilding mate- 
rials. He has built up a good trade and is one 
of the enterprising. ])rogressive business men 
of the county. 

Mr. and Mrs. Sherman have one daughter. 
Ivy. who is now attending school. In politics 
he is an earnest republican, having votetl for 
that party since age gave to him the right of 



426 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



franchise. He has been elected and is now 
serving as a member of the town board and 
the cause of education tinds in him a veiy 
strong and helpful friend. He belongs to the 
Masonic lodge at Elsie and he and his wife are 
identified with the Order of the Eastern Star. 
He prospered in his farming interests and has 
built up a good business in the lumber trade, 
being justly regarded throughout the commu- 
nity as a careful, reliable and enterprising mer- 
chant. His word is as good as his bond and he 
always stands by his contracts. He is an advo- 
cate of public impro\'ement and gi\'es his sup- 
port to various measures for the general good. 
He now owns a nice property in Elsie and is 
one of its substantial citizens, respected by all 
who know him for his genuine worth. 



WILLIAM \\'. SMITH. 

William W. Smith, living on section 6, 
Lebanon township, where he devotes his time 
and attention to farming, was boni upon this 
place January 19, 1868. His father, William 
M. Smith, was a native of x\llegany county, 
New York, born in 1821, and after he had 
reached adult age was married in Wyoming 
county. New York, to Miss Orrilla Welles, 
whose birth occurred in the latter county. The 
young couple began their domestic life upon 
a farm in the Empire state and three children 
were born unto them there. In February, 1865, 
the father removed westward to Michigan, 
locating where his son now resides. He be- 
came the owner of two hundred acres of land 
there. Previous to this time he had visited 
the state and purchased his farm, upon which 
was a small clearing and a log house. He be- 
gan the further development of the place and as 
acre after acre was cleared of the timber he 
placed it under the plow and planted crops that 
in due course of time brought forth rich har- 
vests. Year after year his farm work was suc- 
cessfully conducted up to the time of his death, 
which occurred in June, 1872. His wife sur- 
vived him and reared her children and she now 



makes her home with her son, William W., en- 
joying good health at the age of seventy-four. 
In the family were five children : Emma, now 
the wife of Myron Goolthrite, a farmer of 
Lebanon township; Anna L., the wife of 
George L. Knowles, an agriculturist of Mont- 
calm county: May S.. a teacher of Denver, 
Colorado; William W. ; and Laverne, the wife 
of Carl Rubin, of New Mexico. 

William W. Smith, the only son, spent the 
clays of his bo}-hood and youth upon the farm 
which has been the place of his manhood's 
activity, for throughout his entire life he has 
carried on agricultural pursuits. His pre- 
liminary education acquired in the common 
schools was supplemented by study in the high 
school of Ionia. He remained with his mother 
on the farm except one summer spent in New 
York and, taking charge of the old homestead, 
has since conducted it. He succeeded to forty 
acres of the estate and purchased a tract of forty 
acres, so that he now has a farm of eighty 
acres which is well improved and valuable. On 
this he has erected a commodious and attractive 
residence, which forms one of the pleasing 
features of the landscape. He has also built a 
large basement barn, one of the best in the 
township, at a cost of three thousand dollars. 
He has cleared his fields of stumps and stones 
and in connection with the cultivation of his 
crops raises good grades of stock, making a 
specialty of Shropshire sheep. He also has 
good cattle, horses and hogs upon his place and 
has perfect arrangements for the care of his 
farm animals. In fact, everything about his 
place is in keeping with modern ideas of pro- 
gressive farming and he is justly regarded as 
a man of unfaltering diligence, resulting in 
success f ul accompl i sh ment . 

On the 3d of January, 1894, in Ionia county 
I\Ir. Smith was united in marriage to Miss Eva 
Keefer, who was born in that county and ac- 
quired her education there. She successfully 
engaged in teaching for several years prior to 
her marriage. Her father, Abraham Keefer, 
was fomierly from Ohio and was a relative of 
Congressman Keifer. Mr. and Mrs. Smith are 
the parents of four children: William Harold, 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



427 



Helen. Maurice Keefer and Marjory. Mrs. 
Smith is a member of the Baptist church. Fra- 
ternally Mr. Smith is connected with Hul>- 
bardston loil^e of Ma.sons and with the Mac- 
cabees tent, while iwlitically he has been a life 
lonaf republican. He was elected and served 
for one term as justice of the peace and in 1905 
was chosen to the office of township treasurer. 
Ilis interest in public affairs and his loyalty 
to the general good are recognized by his fellow 
townsmen, who have manifested their trust in 
him by calling him to office and that he justly 
merits their confidence is indicated by the 
prompt and able manner in which he has dis- 
charged his duties. Ilis business record, too. 
is creditable and he is classed with the in- 
dustrious and prosperous farmers of I^banon 
township. 



ROBERT LANDERS. 

Robert Lander-, who has taken an active and 
helpful interest in community affairs and has 
been called to a number of local offices, serving 
now as postmaster at Riley, is also engaged in 
.general agricultural pursuits on section 8. Riley 
township. He was born at Newport in the west 
of Ireland in 1852, and is a son of Richard and 
Sarah ( Parker) Landers, who spent their en- 
tire lives on the Emerald isle. In their family 
were ten children, those yet living Ijeing: Le- 
land, who resides in Riley township: James, of 
Chicago, Illinois; Carrie, who is living in 
County Sligo, Ireland; Sarah, a resident of 
County Tyrone. Ireland; and Robert. The 
other five died in their native countr\-. 

Rolaert Landers pursued his education in the 
public schools of his home town and when four- 
teen years of age started out upon his business 
career, serving an aiiprenticeship in a dr)'-goods 
store. He then went to Dublin, where he was 
clerk in a store and in 187 1 he came to America, 
landing at New York, whence he afterward 
made his way to Chicago, while later he took 
up his alx)de in Eflmore, Michigan, where he 
spent one year. In 18S5 he settled in Riley 
township, locating on section 7. and in 1887 he 



removed to North Riley. Following the de- 
struction of his home by fire in 1898 he built 
his present home and has since laecn engaged in 
farming. He also carried the mail for a time 
to b'owler. afterward to St. Johns and now to 
Grand Ledge, and for four years he has been 
postmaster of the village of Riley. In other 
ways he has served the public, being for the 
ninth year the incumbent in the office of town- 
ship clerk, while for four years he has been 
justice of the peace and for several terms has 
been health officer. In politics he is a democrat 
with lirm faith in the principles of the party. 
In office he discharges his duties in prompt and 
capable manner and the public trust is indicated 
b\- the fact that he has l)een so long retained in 
various positions. 

In 1876 Mr. Landers was united in marriage 
to Miss Mar}- E. Boughton, a daughter of 
Samuel and Dorothea Boughton. of Riley town- 
ship. They have two living children. Maud E., 
the wife of .\rchie Hildreth. of Riley township; 
antl Ruth, at home. They lost their two sons, 
Robert and Leland. Mr. Landers has never 
had occasion to regret his determination to seek 
a home in America for here he has found and 
improved good business opportunities and has 
gradually advanced, winning creditable success 
and also an honored name which comes in recog- 
nition of an upright and active life. Depend- 
ent upon his fiwn resources from the age of 
fourteen years his success is attributable en- 
tirelv tn his earnest and indefatigable lator. 



JOHN \V. IIOW.VKD. 

John W. Howard, owner of one of the fine 
farms of Eagle township, his home being on 
section 7, is a native of Orange county. New 
York, born .\pril 18. 1845. His parents were 
William T. and .Mice (Henry) Howard, the 
former a native of England, and the latter of 
New ^'ork. but l)Oth have now ])assed away 
after many years' residence in the Empire state. 

John \V. Howard received but limited edu- 
cational privileges for at an early age he started 



428 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



out in life on his own account. He left home 
when a youth of fourteen, went to New York 
city and was engaged in boating on the Dela- 
ware and Schuylkill rivers and Chesapeake Bay. 
The year 1864 witnessed his arrival in Michi- 
gan. He went to Ionia county, where he was 
employed for three \ears liy the month as a 
farm hand, during which time he saved from 
his earnings the rapital that enabled him to 
purchase a tract of land. This he secured and 
improved and made thereon a good farm, erect- 
ing substantial I)uildings and adding all modern 
equipments. In 1871 he was married and 
brought his bride to the farm on which he ctm- 
tinued until the fall of 1885, when he sold that 
l)roperty and came to Eagle township, settling 
on section 7, where he purchased eighty acres 
of land. 

^Fr. Howard was united in marriage in 1871 
to Miss Mincr\a .\rnold, a daughter of Caleb 
and Alary .\rnol(l, of the Empire state. Mr. 
Howard has placed his land under a high state 
of cultivation and is practical and enterprising 
in all his methods. In citizenship, too, he is 
reliable, lieing interested in evervthing that per- 
tains to the general welfare and his co-operation 
may be counted u])on to further movements for 
the material improvement and development of 
this i)art of the state. 



EDWIX S. LEOX.\RD. M. D. 

Dr. Edwin .S. Leonard, jjracticing along 
miidern scientific lines with an intimate and ac- 
curate knowledge of the most adwuiced 
methods of the profession, has a splendifllv 
equipped office in Ovid, supplied with all mod- 
ern e(|uipments. He is a native of North 
.\dams, Massachusetts, Ixirn February i, 1835. 
His paternal grandfather. Levi Leonard, was 
likewise born in North .\dams, was a survevor 
by profession and was also a teacher. His son, 
Rev. Silas Leonard, likewise a native of Mas- 
sachusetts. prc])ared for the ministry anrl 
joined the Methodist Episcopal conference. He 
was in active work as an itinerant preacher 



of Xew England for many years and he died 
in Springfield, Massachusetts, at the age of 
thirty-eight. He married Hulda ]\Ii.xer, who 
likewise Ijelonged to an old family of Mas- 
sachusetts, whence representatives of the family 
removed to Michigan, Illinois and New' York. 
Mrs. Leonard died when her son Edwin was 
two years of age, leaving three sons: Levi, who 
for twenty years was in the custom house at 
Portland, Maine. Init is now deceased; Ezra; 
and Edwin S. 

The last named was educated in the common 
schools of his native town and also in North 
Adams .\cademy. His toyhood days were 
spent u]K)n the home farm and at the age of 
fifteen years he entered upon his business career, 
earning his first money in a W(X)len factor)\ 
From the money thus secured he saved enough 
to enable him to prepare for the profession and 
began the study of medicine at Ionia, Michigan, 
under the direction of Dr. Bayard, with whom 
he continued for a A'ear. In 1837 he matricu- 
lated in the medical department of the 
l'ni\ersit\' of Michigan and a year later began 
practice in (ireenville, this state. In 1863 he 
entered the Eclectic Medical Institute, at Cin- 
cinnati. Ohio, from which he was graduated, 
and in 1864 he came to Ovid. The following 
vear he was a])]iointed contract surgeon for the 
Twenty-sex endi Michigan Infantry under 
Colonel I'd.x, in which capacitv he remained for 
six months, returning at the end of that time 
to 0\id, where for four years he conducted a 
drug store. He then resumed the active prac- 
tice of medicine in 1875, removing to Wichita. 
Kansas, where he remained for four and a half 
vears, returning to Ovid in Decemlier, 1879. 
He has since been an active practitioner of this 
])lace. making a sijecialty of the treatment of 
chronic disea.ses and within a recent i:)eriod he 
has e<|uii)ped his ofiice with the .X-ray machine 
and an electric therapeutical laboratory, devoted 
to the scientific emplovment of natural methods 
in the treatment and cure of diseases. He is 
a close student of physiological therapeutics ;ind 
of natural methods which represent the quint- 
essence of scientific correctness and successful 
treatment. His labors have been attended with 



I 



I'ASr AXD PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



429 



a liigh nicasuie of success and his caiKibility and 
pmniinence in llic medical fraternity are widely 
recognized. 

r")r. Leonard was tirst married to Miss Har- 
riet S. Danfortli. of I'ennsylvania, who died 
lea\ing one son, De Los E. Leonard, now of 
Chicago. In 1876 Dr. Leonard wedded Miss 
Susan Hicks, a daugliter of Solomon Hicks, 
of Ovid, lie lielongs to the Methodist Episco- 
pal church and to the Masonic fraternity, and 
his political supjjort is given to the republican 
])arty. 11 is interest, however, centers in his 
l)rofessioii. wherein he is making continuous ad- 
vancement, iiis investigation and reading con- 
stantly broadening his knowledge and promot- 
ing liis efficiency. 



JOHX MALONY. 

Jdhn Maluny. wlm fullows the occupation of 
farming on section j6, liagle township, was 
lK)rn in Monroe county. X'ew York. July 15, 
1S50. and is a son of Michael and l.ridget 
(Corbit) Malony. both of whnm were natives 
of Ireland. Sul)se(iuent to their marriage they 
crossed the Atlantic to the L'nited States and 
settled in Monroe county. New ^'ork. where 
they s]x?nt their reiuaining days, the father 
dying at the age of seventy years, while the 
mother ]«ssed away at the age of thirty-five 
years when her son John was a small lad. In 
tiieir family were two sons and four daugh- 
ters: .Mary, the wife of Thomas Malley. of 
Monme cminty. Xew \'ork : Michael, of Penn- 
sylvania: Jennie, the wife of Melburn W^elch, 
of Detroit, Michigan: Jnhn. nf this review; 
.\delia. the wife of E. M. lUirrdughs. of De- 
troit. .Michigan; and Ella, the deceased wife of 
George Ross. 

Mr. Malony. whose name introduces this 
record, is now largely engaged in agricultural 
pursuits and has led a very industrious life. His 
educational pri\ilegcs were limite<l for he was 
Uiund nut after his mother's death when only 
eight years of age, entering the employ of 
Lewis .Mien at that time. When thirteen vears 



of age he began working by the month as a 
farm hand and was thus employed until twenty- 
six years of age, when he was married and 
came to Clinton county, Michigan, settling first 
on section 2^, Eagle township. In 1899 he 
removed to his present farm and here owns one 
hundred and twenty acres of land. He cleared 
a iiart of his first farm and to the further de- 
velopment and improvement of his present farm 
has given his time and attention with the re- 
sult that his labors have lieen crowned by a 
gratifying measure of jjrosperity. He has 
worked diligently and persistently and as the 
years have gone by has made many modern im- 
jirovemcnts on his property. 

On the (>th of October, 1876. Mr. Malony 
was united in marriage to Mi.ss Lucy Allen, a 
daughter of Nathan \V. .Mien, of Monroe 
county, .\ew York. They have five children: 
Editli. the wife of .\rthur Phillips; Nathan, 
who is ii\ing on the home farm in Eagle town- 
sliip: and who married Miss Zua De Witt; 
Dora, William Jay and Jennie, all at home. 

.Mr. Malony endorses democratic principles 
and votes for that ])arty when national issues 
and ([uestions are inxolved but at local elections 
casts an indei)endent ballot. He is regarded 
in the community where he resides as a good 
neighlior. a public-spirited and respected citizen 
and a reliable Ijusiness man. and now he is one of 
the substantial agriculturists of his community 
liecause he has worked diligently and persist- 
ently in the ac(|uircment of a comfortable com- 
petence. 



GEORGE B. HRIGGS. 



George P>. Rriggs is one of the representative 
and energetic business men of Elsie, where he 
is well known as the owner of an elevator and 
as a grain merchant. He has lived here since 
1885 an<l in addition to handling grain he also 
deals in seeds, lieans, eggs and farm produce, 
being a member of the fimi of Curtis & Rriggs. 
Mis natal day was .\ovember u, 1857, and the 
])lace of his birth, Wayne county. Ohio. His 
father. John P>riggs. was likewise a native of 



430 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



the same county and was reared and married 
there, Miss Sylvia J. Huston, a native of Erie 
county, New York, becoming his wife. Mr. 
Briggs was a business man and farmer, who 
carried on a boot and shoe trade in the town 
of Converse, where he reared his family and 
spent the greater part of his life. His death 
occurred in that place and for several years 
he was survived bv his wife, who, however, has 
now pas.sed away. 

George B. Briggs, whose name introduces 
this rex^iew, acquired his early education in the 
pul)lic schools of Converse and afterward at- 
tended school in Lodi, Michigan. When a 
young man he made his way to Detroit in 1879 
and entered the employ of the Michigan Car 
Company. He was afterward in the service of 
tlie Central Car Company as a carpenter and 
joiner for five years and on resigning his posi- 
tion there he came to Elsie in 1885. His first 
business connection with this place was as a 
carpenter and joiner and for a few years he thus 
represented building operations, but later he 
formed a partnership with I,. \Y. Curtis and 
Iniilt the elevator, since which time he has been 
engaged in the grain, coal and tile business. 
Tiiey have secured a very liberal patronage, 
which comes from Clinton and adjoining 
counties. The firm has now had a continuous 
existence of about fifteen years. They began 
in a small way as wholesale dealers in eggs 
and l)eans anfl gradually increased until now 
they ha\c an ;uinual business of many thou- 
sands of dollars, their egg business alone 
amounting to more than thirty thousand dollars 
in the year 1904. They extended the field of 
their operations by becoming dealers in seeds 
and grain, farm produce of all kinds, coal, tile, 
brick and lime. In 1894 they erected an ele- 
vator along the tracks of the Ann Arbor Rail- 
road, having a capacity of ten thousand bushels 
of grain and their holdings are frequently so 
large as to materially overtax the limit of their 
plant. 

On the 25th of October, 1879, Mr. Briggs 
was united in marriage to Miss Abbie Fox. a 
native of Canada, in which country she was 
reared. Thev now have six children : Arthur, 



who is married and resides in Elsie; Althea; 
Delia ; Neva ; Ruth ; and Rose. Mr. Briggs is 
a member of Elsie lodge, A. F. & A. M.. and 
he and his wife are connected with the Order 
of the Eastern Star. He likewise belongs to 
the Owosso lodge of Elks and has fraternal re- 
lations with the Maccabees and the Woodmen. 
He has always been a stanch republican but 
never an ofifice seeker, preferring to give his 
time and energies to his business affairs. He 
realizes that enterprise and close application 
constitute the surest basis of success and to 
these qualities he adds sound business judg- 
ment, so that each step in his career has been 
carefully and thoughtfully made and has been 
a resultant factor in carrying him forward to 
the goal of prosperitj'. 



ROBERT McCONKEY. 

Robert McConkey, owner of a farm of one 
hundred and sixty acres on section 24, Bath 
township, and a resident of the county since 
1876, was born in West Williambury, Ontario, 
Canada, on the 3d of June, 1850. His parents, 
John and Catherine (Johnson) McConkey, 
were also natives of the Dominion, where they 
were reared and married. In the year i860 
tliey removed from Canada to the Empire state, 
settling on a farm in Niagara county, where the 
father spent his remaining days, his death oc- 
curring there alxiut 1873. His wife survived 
him for aliout three years. In their family 
were six sons and six daughters, all of whom 
reached atlult age and became heads of families, 
while five sons and two daughters are yet liv- 
ing. 

Robert McConkey, whose name introduces 
this record, was reared on a farm and in his 
3'outh became familiar with the various duties 
that fall to the lot of the agriculturist. He was 
ten years of age when the family removed to 
New York and subsequently he returned to 
Canada, where he was married on the 29th of 
December, 1875. the lady of his choice being 
Miss Isabelle Xev, who was born and reared 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



431 



there. In 1876 they once more crossed the 
lx)rder into the United States and at this time 
Mr. McConkey took up his abode in Clinton 
county. Micliigan. wliere lie invested his capital 
in forty acres of land in Dewitt township. Here 
he liegan to farm the place and further iinprove 
it. making his home thereon for a numl)er of 
years, when he sold out and l)ought where he 
now resides, becoming owner of an improved 
tract of land on section 24, Bath township. He 
has carried his work forward along progressive 
lines of farming and excellent results have at- 
tended his efforts. He raises good grades of 
cattle and Poland China hogs and his stock 
interests as well as his grain-raising are ])roving 
profitable to him. I'or a year he retired from 
the farm and carried on an implement business 
in Laingsburg Init after two years he .sold out 
there. He had resided in town but a year when 
he returned to the farm, altliough it was a year 
later Ijcforc he disposed of his mercantile in- 
terests. With this e.xception his undivided at- 
tention has been given to agricultural pursuits. 
Unto Mr. and Mrs. McConkey have been 
born four children: Ruby, the wife of Elmer 
Carleton. of Lansing; Mary, the wife nf J- P>. 
Shaft, of Lansing; Robert T.. who is married 
ami carries on the home farm with his fadier; 
and Lula Belle, at home. The mother is a 
member of the Methodist Ejiiscopal church and 
Mr. McConkey has membersliip relations with 
Laingsburg lodge, A. F. & A. M., and the In- 
dependent Order of Odd Fellows in Laings- 
burg. In the last named he has filled all of the 
offices and has likewise been a delegate to the 
grand lodge of the state holding its meetings 
in Detroit. His political allegiance is given to 
the republican party and he is inflexible in his 
endorsement of its ])rinciples. He was elected 
and served for one term as supervisor and then 
a year after his retirement from ofiice he was 
re-elected and is filling the position for the 
second tenn. He has sen-ed and is still serving 
on some important committees and is a man 
of sounil judgment and go<id Imsiness ability, 
whicli he brings to liear ujion his official duties 
as well as his private interests. He has made 
four assessments of his township and in all his 



])ul)Iic work has commanded the esteem and 
trust of his constituents and the communitv at 



JOHN VANGIESON. 

John Vangieson, the owner of farming in- 
terests covering one hundred and thirty-three 
acres of good land on section 21, Eagle town- 
ship, was torn in this county on the i/tli of 
March, 1846, his parents l)eiiig Marcellus and 
llannah ('Merkey) Vangieson, the former a 
native of New Jersey, and the latter of Eng- 
land. In the year 1841 they came to Clinton 
count}-, settling in Dallas township on a farm 
of two hundred acres which was in the midst 
of the forest. With characteristic energy the 
father began to clear and improve that prop- 
erty and in due course of time developed a 
good farm. He was acti\e anfl influential in 
community interests and served as clerk and 
treasurer of his township. His death occurred 
in i8c)j, when he was se\enty-oiie years of age, 
while his widow is still living. John Vangie- 
son. the jjaternal grandfather, arrived in Michi- 
gan in 1836 and settled in Washtenaw county, 
where he spent his remaining days. John Van- 
gieson, was one of a family of seven children, 
the others being: Elizabeth, now the wife of 
Morris Drake, of Eagle township; .\manda, 
the wife of Dennis Parks, also of Eagle town- 
ship; Jane, the wife of William Chase and a 
resident of Tuscola county. Michigan; .\deline, 
the wife of Eli Martin, of Tuscola county; 
Thomas H.. who is living in Dallas township, 
Clinton county; and Ellen, the deceased wife 
of C. N. Rice. 

John \'angieson is indelited to the district- 
school system of Clinton county for the educa- 
tional privileges he enjoyed. He was also 
trained to the labors of the farm and when 
twenty-one years of age he left home and set- 
tled in Bengal town.ship. where he resided for 
fourteen years. He afterward spent five years 
in Tecumseh, where he engaged in the lumber 
business and then removed to St. Johns, con- 
ducting a f.irm there in I'cngal township. In 



43- 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



the fall (if 1899 he came to his present farm im 
sectiiin 21. Eagle tnwnship, having here (jTie 
hundred and thirty-three acres of rich and pro- 
ductive land. It has been well improved by 
tiling and fencing since his purchase and all 
modern ec|ui])ments and accessories added. 

On the 29th of November. 1870, Mr. Van- 
gieson was united in marriage to Miss Emily 
Temple, a daughter of Merritt and Sabrina 
(Bliss) Temi)le, natives of the Green Mountain 
state but residents of Riley township at the 
time of the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Vangie- 
son. Two children bless this union: Grace, now 
the wife of Grant .\cre, of Eagle towmship: and 
Fred B.. who is li\ing in the state of Wash- 
ington. 

In his farm wurk Mr. X'angieson has labored 
earnestlv and indefatigalilv and as the years 
have passed has become the owner of a good 
property, which in its well improved and thrifty 
appearance is an indication of his careful super- 
vision and practical methods. He is a most 
energetic man and an excellent farmer. He 
Ijelongs to the Grange and to the Maccaliees. 



ABR.\H.\.M L. UNDERWOOD. 

Abraiiam L. Underwood, living on section 6. 
Esse.K township, is a prosperous farmer, whose 
home ])lace compri.ses over one hundred acres 
of land on .section 6. Essex township. He also 
owns over two hundred acres of Ixittom land 
and his farming interests return to him a grati- 
fying annual income. He was l)orn in Lebanon 
township. Clinton county. January 4. 1867. His 
father. H. G. I'nderwood. was born in Canada. 
October 4. 1827, while his parents were on 
their way to this country from England, and 
in his childhood days came to Michigan, being 
reared in Oakland county. His father was A.sa 
B. Underwood, a native of England and one of 
the first settlers of Oakland county, establish- 
ing his home there in 1829. after which he 
opened u]i a large fann. 

H. G. Underwood was reared there and when 
a \-oung man came to Clinton countv. This 



was in i85() and he purchased land in Lebanon 
townshi]). which be transformed into a produc- 
tive farm. He was married in this countv to 
Miss Permelia Haynes. a native of Ohio and a 
daughter of Josejih Havnes. formerlv of Penn- 
sylvania. In 1871 he purchased the farm upon 
which .\. L. Underwood now resides. The 
land was cleared but there were no liuildings 
u])on it. so that he erected a house, barn and 
sheds, also fenced the place, cleared the stumps 
and stones from the fields and in fact made the 
farm a valuable property. His time and ener- 
gies were devoted to its further cultivation and 
im|)rovement up to the time of his death, whicli 
occurred on the 9th of June. 1889. His wife 
had ])reviously passed away, her death occur- 
ring September 17. 1877. In their family were 
four children, namely Charles J.: .Abraham L. : 
Linna M.. the wife of Arnold Payne, of Maple 
Rapids: Mella, who died February 8, 1875. at 
the age of eight months. 

.\braham L. L'nderwood. spending his l)oy- 
ho;>d da\s on the home farm, earlv became 
familiar with the duties and labors that fall to 
the lot of the agriculturist. He attended the 
district schools and afterward continued his 
.studies in the schools of Maple Rapids. He re- 
mained with his father until the latter's death 
and afterwanl succeeded to a i)art of tlie old 
homestead, since which time he has purchased 
nearlv three lunidred acres of land in one body, 
comprising jilowed. ])asture and timl)er land. 
He has feticed the ])lace. built a barn and gr;ui- 
arv. also sheds and tanks, has ])ut in a windmill, 
and in fact has made all of the present modern 
iiU])rovements. The farm in its neat and tbriftv 
ajipearance is indicative of his careful super- 
vision and progressive methods and also of the 
unremitting diligence which he displavs in the 
care of his pro])erty. 

On the 29th of March. i89<;. in Essex town- 
shi]!. Mi-. Underw( 111(1 was united in marriage 
to Miss iulith I'ayne, a native of Clinton 
countv. Michigan, and a daughter of Henry 
I'avne. Thuv now have a familv of three chil- 
dren: Reba I... Acil B. and .\nzil D. Tliey 
also lost one daughter. Eva. in infancy. Mrs. 
Underwood is a member of the Christian 
(.■hurch. 



PAST AXD PRESENT OF CLTXTON COUNTY 



433 



Politically Mr. I'mlerwcKxl is a republican 
wliere national issues are involved hut at local 
elections votes indeijendently. nor does he seek 
nor desire office. He served, however, as path- 
master for twelve years and has Iwen a member 
of the jury a number of times. He has a wide 
and favorable act|uaintance in St. Johns and 
throughout the country and his life record is an 
indication of what may l)e accomplished when 
one has the will to dare and to do. Realizing 
tiiat labor is the basis of all honorable ])ros]jer- 
ity, he has worked persistently as the years have 
gone by and though he has met with difficulties 
and obstacles he has conquered these by a reso- 
lute will and unfaltering energy and is today 
one of the substantial agriculturists of his c(im- 
niunity. one of the most prosi:)erous farmers and 
one of the wealtiest young cattle buyers of 
northern Clinton conntv. 



J.\MES II. ITSH. 



James H. l-"ish. who follows general agricul- 
tural pursuits on section 20, Eagle township, 
was born in this township. July 7. 1864. his 
parents l)eing Silas P. and .Mmini P. ( .Merrill) 
Fish, natives of PennsyKania and New York 
respectively. TJie father came to Clinton 
county. Michigan, in 1S33. settling on section 
22. Eagle township, where he made his home 
until 1868. when he removed to section 20. On 
the 23th of Sejjtember. 1868. he married Miss 
-Mniira P. Merrill, who had come west in 1838 
with her maternal grandparents, I'letcher and 
Mary Jennison. early settlers of Clinton 
county. Here Mr. Jennison took up govern- 
ment land, becoming owner of section 22. Eagle 
township, and he continued to make his home 
thereon until his death, which occurred in 
1868. His wife died .some time later. The 
father of our subject [Kissed away in 1869 at 
the age of forty-five years, and in 1872 the 
mother married William Dravcnstatt. who died 
in i8i>8. The farm uixm which James H. l-'ish 
resides was entered by his fatiier but the im- 
provements thereon have been mainly made 



since his death, his widow and only .son con- 
tinuing the work of development ancl cultiva- 
tion. They erected good buildings and added 
modern ecpiipments to the place. 

James H. b'isk pursued a district-school 
education and afterwru-d attended the high 
.school at Portland. .Michigan. He has since 
de\dted his attention to agricultural pursuits 
and the suiJervision of the homestead farm. He 
was foiu" and a half years old when his parents 
remoxed to the ])lace uixMi which he now re- 
sides, and the excellent modern improvements 
which are here found are largely due to his in- 
dustry, efforts and enteri)rise. He has two hun- 
dred acres of rich land which is verv pro- 
iluctive and \alual)le. and he was the first 
fanner to build a silo in Eagle township, it 
ha\ing a capacity of one hundred and twenty 
tons. In 1901 he built a cheese factory, which 
has an output of ten thousand [xiunds of cheese 
\KV month. The product is of su])erior quality 
and finds a ready sale on the local market. In 
all of his work Mr. Fi.sh is practical and enter- 
])rising and carries forward to successful com- 
pletion whatever he undertakes. 

On the 27th of November. r888. occurred 
the marriage of James H. Fish and Miss Nellie 
l".. Stearns, a daughter of Thom])son E. 
.Steams, of Crawford county, Wisconsin. They 
now ha\e one son. EUwikxI Bard. In the com- 
munity where they reside their circle of friends 
is e.xtensive and the hospitality of the test homes 
is freely accorded them. Mr. Fish is recog- 
nized as a prominent representative of the re- 
iniblican ])art\- and has taken an active interest 
in its local work. He served as treasurer of the 
township four terms and has l)een town clerk 
since 1901. lie belongs to the Universalis! 
churcli and scxeral fraternal organizations, in- 
cluding I'.agle lodge. No. 65. I. O. O. F.. in 
which he has filled all of the chairs. He like- 
wise affiliates with the Woodmen of .\merica 
and the (ileaners. During a life-long residence 
in Eagle townshi]) he has ma<le a record that is 
creditable and honorable and has won for him 
the unqualified regard of a large circle of 
friends and acquaintances. His business inter- 
ests have been cajjably and profitalily conducted 



434 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



and at tlie same time he has fi)und opportunity 
to aid in tlie progress of pubHc measures that 
have been of direct l^enefit to his township and 
county. 



WILLIAM F. BEEBEE. 

W illiani !'. Beeljee. justice of the peace in 
Greenhusli township, and a representative 
farmer there, !i\-ing- on section 2^. has made his 
home in Clinton county since 1865 and his life 
of industry and enterprise is indicated by the 
fact that although he started out for himself 
empty-handed he is now the owner of one 
hundred acres of rich and productive land. He 
was born in Jkladison county. Xew York. Julv 
3, 1852, and is a son of Sylvester Beebee. whose 
birth occurred in Herkimer county, in 1830. 
The paternal grandfather. Cyrus Beebee. was a 
native of the Empire state, born on Long 
Island but remo\ed to Herkimer county, where 
Sylvester Beebee was reared and educated. 
There the latter was married to Miss Alibie 
Ann \'incent. likewise a nati\e of the Empire 
state. She died in 1859, leaving two children, 
who had been born upon the home farm in New 
\ork. Mr. Beeljee continued his residence in 
the east until 1865. when he came to Michigan 
and Ixiught a tract of land in Essex township. 
Clinton county, whereon he resided for fnur 
years. He then sold that property and pur- 
chased the farm upjn which his son William 
now resides. He at once began its further culti- 
vation and inipmvement. devoting his attention 
to agricultural pursuits until after he lost his 
second wife, when he removed to St. Johns, 
making his lionie there up to the time of his 
death, which occurred in February. 1900. He 
was a prominent and influential resident of the 
township, wielding a wide influence in public 
affairs and for twenty-four consecutive years 
he capably .served as justice of the i)eace, win- 
ning higii encomiums by his just and fair de- 
cisions and his unfaltering fidelity to dutv. He 
likewise filled other public positions of honor 
and trust and he gained the unqualified re- 



gard and confidence of his fellowmen so that 
his death was the occasion of deep and wide- 
spread regret when he was called to his final 
rest. 

William F. Beebee is one of the two children 
born of the first marriage, his sister being 
Emma L.. the wife of William Bird, of St. 
Johns. Mr. Beebee was a lad of eleven years 
when be accompanied his father on his removal 
to Michigan, and upon the home farm he was 
reared, while in the district schools he pursued 
his education. When not engaged with his 
text-books he assisted in the work of the fields 
and gained practical experience in the best 
methods of raising grain and stock, .\fter his 
marriage he located on a farm on section 23, 
Ovid township, where he had a small tract of 
land which be cultivated and improved for four 
or fi\e }ears. He then sold out and bought 
sixty acres, where he now resides. This he be- 
gan to improve and has transformed his farm 
into a valuable property and has extended its 
bciundaries bv additional purchase until he now 
bus one hundred acres of valuable land on sec- 
tion 2T,. Greenbush township. ]\Iuch arduous 
labor was refpiired to make his farm cultivable 
and bring it to its present high state of cultiva- 
tion but he has worked on persistently and 
energcticallv year after year and is regarded as 
one of the representative agritulturists of the 
community. The waving fields of grain 
promise rich harvests, an orchard yields its 
fruits in season and even'thing alx^ut the farm 
is attractive in ap])earance, giving proof of 
the care and labor of the owner. 

On the 1st of January. 1871. in Greenbush 
township. Mr. Beelx^e was married to Miss 
Dessie .\. Green, a daughter of W' illiam Green, 
a native of England, who on coming to Clinton 
county settled in Greenbush township. He had 
previously li\ed in Ohio, where Mrs. Beebee 
was bom, her girlhood days, however, being 
largely passed in Clinton county, .\fter their 
luarriage Mr. and Mrs. Beebee located in Ovid 
township and then removed to their present 
farm. The_\- have Ijecome the parents of four 
children : Xora L.. who was educated in the 
schools of St. Johns and Big Rapids and is now 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



435 



a teadier ni tliis county; Bertlia M., also a 
teacher, who was educated in the common 
scliools and in St. Johns; and Stella M. and 
I^'iwrence .S.. hoth at home. Mr. P>eehee votes 
with the repuhlican party and has been one of 
its stanch and unfaltering advocates since cast- 
ing his first presidential vote for Rutherford 
B. Hayes in 1876. He is an active worker in 
local political circles and in 1901 was elected 
justice of the peace, to which position he was 
re-elected in 1905 for a second term of four 
years. Like his father he has made a most 
creditable record in this office, his decisions 
being based upon the law and the equity of the 
case. He is a public-spirited man, whose 
efforts have been of benefit to the locality. A 
believer in good schools, he has advocated the 
emplo\Tnent of good teachers and has done ef- 
fective service for the cause of education dur- 
ing seventeen years' connection with the school 
board. He has also been school moderator and 
director and he has frequently been chosen as 
a delegate to the county conventions of the re- 
publican party, lioth he and his wife are mem- 
bers of the Giristian church of Eureka, and are 
people of genuine worth to whom the hospitality 
of the best homes of the locality is cordially 
extended. 



CHARLES H. E.\TOX. 

Charles H. Eaton is one of Michigan's native 
sons, his birth having occurred in Middlebury 
township. Shiawassee county, on the 8th of 
June, 1875. ^^^ 's a son of Abram M. and 
iMiima G. (Faxon) Eaton, who were natives 
of Oakland and Clinton counties respectively. 
W'hen a boy the father removed to Shiawassee 
county, where he spent the greater part of his 
life. He was Iwrn March 9, 1843, 3"*^' "^I'^^ 
in [898, while his wife, who was bom March 
J4, T847, <^''^fl '" 1890. 

The ancestr\' of the family can be traced still 
farther back for Samuel Eaton, the grand- 
father, was a native of New Jersey, whence he 
emigrated westward to Oakland county, Michi- 
gan, subsequently removing to Shiawassee 



county. He was a circuit preacher, known in 
this state as a pioneer minister of the Metho- 
dist Episcopal church. His death occurred in 
1885, when he was seventy-five years of age. 
The Eatons were originally from New Jersey, 
while the Faxons were from the state of New 
^'ork. 

Charles H. Eaton acquired his education in 
the public schools of Ovid and in the Detroit 
Business College, from which he was graduated 
on the 3d of .\pril, 1895. His school life being 
ended, he returned to Ovid and entered into 
])artnership with his father in the carriage busi- 
ness under the firm style of Eaton & Son. They 
conducted this enterprise together for three 
years or until the father's death, since which 
time the enteqirise has been continued. Mr. 
Eaton admitted J. J. Munson to a partnership 
under the firm style of Eaton & Munson, which 
relation was maintained until the spring of 
1905, when Mr. Eaton sold out to his partner. 
He is the owner of a large farm in Middlebury 
township, Shiawassee county, this being the old 
homestead property containing three hundred 
and seventy-seven acres. At the time the 
grandfather arrived in Michigan this tract was 
all an unbroken wilderness, Samuel Eaton en- 
tering forty acres from the government, to 
which he added from time to time until he be- 
came the owner of a valuable property. The 
first eighty acres was cleared through hard and 
unremitting labor and the final payment upon 
the place was made with the bounty money 
which Abram Eaton received when he entered 
the Civil war. This land has become ver)' valu- 
able and the acreage of the farm has been ex- 
tended until it now includes four hundred acres. 
There are modern buildings upon the property 
and all of the up-to-date equipments. In 1885 
.\bram M. Eaton Iniilt an attractive residence 
in the village of Ovid, which is now owned by 
Charles H. Eaton, and upon which he has made 
many modern improvements, making it one of 
the attractive homes of the town. 

On the 28th of Decemljer, 1898. occurred 
the marriage of Giarles H. Eaton and Miss 
Jennie Bruce, a daughter of Charles Bruce, of 
Detroit, Michigan, and their children are Mar- 



436 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



vin Bruce and Margaret Adele. Mr. Eaton is 
a memljer of tlie Masonic fraternity and the 
Owosso lodge of Elks. He is a progressive 
young man of splendid business ability and ex- 
ecutive force who has been closely associated 
with industrial interests in Ovid and has made 
a creditable record through his enterprise, relia- 
bility and ready utilization of opjxirtunities. 



BENJ.VMIN TAYLOR. 

Benjamin Tavlor devotes his time and ener- 
gies to farming and stock-raising on section i, 
Bath township, his farm comprising one hun- 
dred and fifty-four acres that is rich and pro- 
ductive and from which he annually harvests 
good cro[)S. .\ nati\-e of Michigan he has ever 
been imbued with the spirit of enterprise that 
has been the dominant factor in the upbuilding 
of the middle west. Lie was born in the town- 
,shi]) of Commerce. Oakland county. June 6, 
1839. His father, Abraham Taylor, was a 
native of Pennsylvania, born in 1814, and was 
a son of George Taylor, likewise a native of 
the Keystone state, where they remained until 
about 1 83 1, when they sought a home in the 
west, believing that the new and rapidly devel- 
oping country would prove a better field of 
labor than in the older and more thickly set- 
tled districts of the east, and George Taylor en- 
tered one hundred and sixty acres of land from 
the government. Not a furrow had been turned 
nor an improvement made ufxin this place, but 
it was not long before trees were cut down and 
the sunlight flcxided the open fields. Grain was 
then sown over the plowed ground and in the 
course of time sprang up in rich harvests. 
Abraham Taylor w^as a youth of seventeen 
years when he came with his father to ^Michigan 
and after he had reached adult age he was 
married to Miss Clarissa Taylor, a native of 
New York, who in her girlhood days was 
brought to this state by her parents. The father 
of our subject devoted his attention to general 
farming in Oakland county and owned and 
operated a valuable tract of land of one hun- 



dred and sixty acres, the care and lalwr he be- 
stowed upon the fields making his place very 
productixe, while the buildings which he erected 
and the modern equipments which he added 
made his one of the best farms of the locality. 
He continued to reside thereon until called to 
his final home in 1896. His wnfe survived him 
for about a year, passing away in 1897. h\ 
their family were five sons and four daughters 
and with the exception of one daughter all are 
yet living. 

Benjamin Taylor spent his youth and early 
manhood in Oakland county, remaining with 
his father until he attained his majority and 
early became inured to the labor of the farm as 
he assisted in the work of ])l(nving. jjlanting and 
har\-esting. \\'hen he had reached adult age 
he started out to make his own wav in the 
world by working as a farm hand by the month 
and was thus employed for sexeral vears. con- 
tinuing in the service of one man for three 
years and five months without the loss of a 
single day during that time. 

In 1863. in Oakland county, Mr. Taylor was 
united in marriage to Miss Samantha Reynolds, 
a native of Lapeer county, this state, who died 
in Oakland county in 1891, leaving a son. Ira 
Taylor, who is now married and resides in Oak- 
land, where he own an elevator and is engaged 
in the grain Inisiness. Having lost his first 
wife Mr. Taylor was again married in Oak- 
land CDunty. in November, 1894, his second 
union being with Mary Clark, a native of that 
count}', where she sjient her girlhood daj's and 
obtained her education. There is a son and 
two daughters of this marriage, Clark, Mildred 
and Bernice. 

After his first marriage Mr. Taylor engaged 
(|uite extensively in buying and shipping stock 
in (Oakland county and also carried on a farm. 
He made his home there until May. 1896. when 
he removed to Clinton countv, having pre- 
viously purchased the tract of land upon which 
he now resides. The farm was in a dilapidated 
condition at that time but he l^egan to improve 
it in accordance with modern ideas, fenced the 
place, erected substantial buildings and in fact 
has made the farm what it is todav. Here he 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



437 



is iKiw succcsstullv raising good slock, inakiuij 
a specialty of hio;li grade Durham cattle. lie 
votes iiulependently of party ties nor has he 
ever souglit or desired oflice. He did serve, 
liowever. as deput)- sheriff of Oakland county 
and likewise was liighway commissioner hut 
in this countv has given his undixided attention 
to his farm. I lis w ife is a niemher of the Ra])- 
tist church. Mr. Taylor has spent his entire 
life in Michigan and is one of the honest yeo- 
men of Rath townsliip who.se worth is recog- 
nized hy those who know him and who ha\e 
had liusiness or social relations with him. 



JOHN PIXGEL. 

John Pingel, residing on section 20, Riley 
township, wliere he has valuable and profitable 
farming interests, is a native of Mechlenburg, 
Germany, horn November 4, 183 1, his parents 
being Charles and Hannah ( Saffo) Pingel, who 
came to the United States and established tlieir 
home in New York. John Pingel of this re- 
view took up his abode in Niagara county. New 
"N'ork, in 1850, when a young man of about 
nineteen years and in 1856 came to Michigan, 
spending six months in Macomb county. He 
tlien removed to St. Johns, where he lived for 
two and a half years, after which he located 
on a .small farm in Ringham township. Later 
he traded that ])roperty for one hundred and 
twenty acres of Iiis present farm, situated on 
section 20. Riley township, and with character- 
istic energy Ijegan the development and ini- 
l)rovement of this ])lace. He now owns one 
hundred and forty acres of good land which 
is today a well improved property, from which 
he has cleared the stumps and stones, placing 
the land under a high state of cultivation. He 
built a good nvxlern fann house seventeen years 
ago and in i8cj8 erected a substantial ham. He 
has aLsc) added other outbuildings for the shel- 
ter of grain and stock and altogether h;is a good 
place. In early life Mr. Pingel read meflicine 
according to the homeopathic school and in his 
neightorhood has been very successful in his 



treatment of diseases for o\er thirty-five years. 
1 le has made a specialty of typhoid cases, in 
which he has excelled, effecting many cures. 
I'arming. howe\er, has lieen his princi])al occu- 
pation and he has found it a [jrofitable source 
of income, owing to his careful management of 
his fields and well directed labor in all the de- 
partments of agricultural activity. In 1855 
Mr. Pingel was united in marriage to Miss 
Dora Krieger, a native of (iermany, and they 
have become the parents of four children: So- 
l)hia, the wife of .\ugust ^'ostrem, of Riley 
township; Ella, the wife of James Parkhouse, 
an agriculturist of the .same townshij); I,ouise, 
the wife of I-'red Oppenlander. of Delta town- 
ship, Eaton county; and W. Edward, of Riley 
township. The parents are members of the 
Methodist Episcopal church and Mr. Pingel 
has served as a memlier of the board of reviews 
and as ])athmaster in his townshij). During his 
long residence in Clinton county, covering a 
period of almost forty years he has witnes.sed 
many changes as die work of development and 
improvement has been carried steadily forward. 
The most far-sighted could scarcely have 
dreamed of the transformation that has 
been wrought here. The traxeler four decades 
ago passing through the dense forests could 
scarcely realize that within a comparatively few 
\ears all the great timber tracts would have 
been reduced to luml)er and in their ])lace would 
be seen wa\ing fields of grain, while here and 
there towns and villages would be established, 
containing industrial and commercial enter- 
])rises and all of the advantages known to the 
older east. Mr. I'ingel in an active business 
career has won a fair measure of success and 
is now the owner of one of the good farms of 
his localitv. 



LEWIS F. GILSON. 

Lewis F. Gilson, living on section 4. Green- 
bush township, devotes his attention to agri- 
cultural life along practical lines of improve- 
ment, and owns a well improved farm of sev- 
enty acres. He was bom in Henry county, 



438 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



Ohio, May 15, 1857, and is a son of William 
Gilson, whose birth occurred July 24, 1832, in 
Holmes county, Ohio, while the grandfather, 
Richard Gilson, was likewise born in Holmes 
county. Suljsequently, however, the grand- 
father removed to Henry county, Ohio, where 
he reared his family. William Gilson spent 
the days of his boyhood and youth in his par- 
ents' home and assisted in carrying on the farm 
so that he early Ijecame familiar with the duties 
and labors that fall to the lot of the agricultur- 
ist. He was married in Henry county to Miss 
Susan Gehratt, a native of Ohio, and a daughter 
of Benjamin Gehratt, whose birth occurred in 
Pennsylvania, but he removed from the Key- 
stone state to Henry county, Ohio. Mr. and 
Mrs. Gilson became the parents of eight chil- 
dren, all of whom reached years of maturity. 
The father worked at the trade of a carpenter 
and joiner until 1861, when he responded to 
the country's call for aid, enlisting in the Sixty- 
eighth Ohio Infantry. He was afterward made 
quartermaster and colonel of his regiment and 
served for three years and eight months, prov- 
ing a loyal soldier who faithfully discharged 
his duties at all times. Following his return 
from the army he came to Clinton county, 
Michigan, where he purchased eighty acres of 
raw timber land which he began to clear and 
improve, transforming the tract into a fine farm. 

Lewis F. Gilson accompanied his parents on 
their removal to Michigan and assisted his 
father in carrying on the home farm until his 
twenty-second year, when he began farming on 
his own account, purchasing forty acres of 
land and afterward sold that property and 
bought a tract of seventy acres where he now 
resides. 

On the loth of August, 1879, was celebrated 
the marriage of Mr. Gilson and Miss Almena 
Post, a daughter of Hiram Post and a sister of 
Mrs. A. B. Dexter, whose sketch appears else- 
where in this work. Mr. and Mrs. Gilson have 
but one child, Maud, now the wife of Clarence 
Bair, a farmer of Greenbush township. 

Since taking up his abode on his present 
farm Mr. Gilson has built a good two story 
residence, also a substantial barn and outbuild- 



ings, and has a neat and productive farm. The 
fields are well tilled and promise good harvests, 
while in the pastures are found good grades of 
stock. Politically Mr. Gilson is a stalwart re- 
publican, always supporting the men and meas- 
ures of the party, and for seven years he served 
as highway commissioner, while for one year 
he was a member of the board of reviews. His 
interest in community affairs is deep and sin- 
cere and has led to his active co-operation in 
many measures which have been of direct bene- 
fit to his locality. He belongs to the Maccabees 
tent No. 206 of St. Johns, and also to the Mod- 
ern Woodmen camp No. 3210 at Eureka, and 
sensed as banker of the lodge there for one 
term. He and his wife hold membership in the 
Methodist Episcopal church of Greenbush. 
During a long residence here Mr. Gilson has 
so lived as to win the confidence and respect 
of his fellowmen and at the same time has capa- 
bly managed business interests so tliat he is 
now owner of an excellent farm. 



AMBROSE E. GALLUP. 

Ambrose E, Gallup, a representative of a 
pioneer family living on section 35, Eagle town- 
ship, was born on the 5th of August, 1866, in 
the township which is still his home, his parents 
being Eli and Anna (Honor) Gallup, both of 
whom were natives of Knox, Albany county. 
New York. The paternal grandfather also 
bore the name of Eli Gallup, was a native of 
Connecticut, and lived to the very advanced 
age of ninety-three years. Of his family, Eli 
Gallup, Jr., was the only one who came to 
Clinton county. Fie had five brothers who re- 
mained in Monroe county, New York. The 
living members of the family are: Sarah, now 
the wife of Lorenzo Crippen, of Monroe county. 
New York; John, who is living in Brockport, 
that state ; Jackson, whose home is in Clarkson, 
New York; George, who resides at Adams 
Basin, Monroe county. New York. Mary is 
the deceased wife of Ephraim Crippen; 



1 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



439 



and Matilda is tlie deceased wife of Ilar- 
vev Coiiiin. Jolin Honor, the maternal 
grandfatlier of our subject, was a native 
of England and in early life crossed the Atlan- 
tic to the United States, becoming proprietor of 
a hotel in Syracuse, New York, where he died. 
It was his daughter Anna, who married Eli 
Gallup, Jr. Following their marriage they re- 
moved to Michigan, settling upon the farm 
which is n(;w the home of their son .Ambrose. 
The father purchased a half section of land and 
began the development of a farm, making it a 
valuable property by reason of the care and 
labor he bestowed upon it as the years went by. 
He died September 6, 1894, at the age of 
seventy-three years, and his widow is yet living 
upon the old homestead with her son .\mbrose. 
Eli Gallup and Horace Brown made the jour- 
ney together to this county and secured adjoin- 
ing farms, the original property of Mr. Brown 
now l)elonging to John Malony. In commun- 
ity interests Mr. Gallup took an active and help- 
ful interest and served as highway commis- 
sioner. He also belonged to the Masonic fra- 
ternity and was a charter member of the blue 
lodge at Portland, Michigan. He was recog- 
nized as a good citizen, public-spirited and pro- 
gressive and his efforts in behalf of his com- 



munity were far-reaching and beneficial. In 
their famil)- were three children : Mary E., the 
wife of Fred Short, of Roxana township, Eaton 
county. Michigan; .Ambrose E., of this review; 
and Ella E.. the deceased wife of John E. \iles. 
.\mbrose E. Gallup is indebted to the district 
.school system for the early educational pri\i- 
leges he enjoyed, while later he attended .\1- 
I)ion College, at Albion, Michigan. On putting 
aside his te.xt-lxioks he concentrated his ener- 
gies upon the work of the home farm and has 
since continued in agricultural pursuits. lie 
purchased one hundred acres of land on section 
35 and has improved the property by drains 
and tiling, by carefully cultivating the fields and 
by utilizing the most modern improved meth- 
ods in all branches of his farm work. He is 
thoroughly reliable and trustworthy in his busi- 
ness transactions and his labors have brought 
him a gratifying financial return. He is justly 
regarded as a progressive citizen and one whose 
efforts ha\e been the source of his ])resent pros- 
perity. In politics he is a democrat but without 
political aspiration for office. He belongs to 
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in 
which he has filled all of the chairs and he also 
holds membership relations with the Knights 
of Pythias, the Elks and the Eagles. 



.?8 



1 



Hi.sk)ric(i 



A HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



The past of Clinton county, one of llie most 
progressive and productive counties lying be- 
tween the Great Lakes, is Imt a fragment of 
the story of the great westward movement 
which has reclaimed forests, redeemed deserts, 
liuilt cities, and by wonderful energy and re- 
source, addetl state after state to the Empire 
of the Stars and Stripes. Viewed in the broader 
aspect, the life of Clinton ctninty is but one 
link in the great chain of advancement wimse 
ultimate forging was to bind the Atlantic to 
the Pacific and finally distribute the wealth and 
arts of the old world ihrouglmut the limitless 
untrod tracts of die new, to develop the hidden 
wealth garnered by nature's prudence for ages 
unnunil)ered. 

This simple narrative must be unpretentious; 
our county can not be accurately portrayed as 
haxing had a life of its own, indei)endent and 
self-containing. At one time within history's 
range, fair Clinton was an unbounded, un- 
known part of the great northwest ; again it lay 
within the lines of the frontier: later it became 
the granary and arsenal froiu which the army 
of pioneers which has been continually recruit- 
ing, took a fresh start in the endless campaign 
of con(|uering the west. In recording this story 
continual reference and allusion must be made 
to this greater history. 

Xo true histoPi- is a mere narrative of facts, 
however, accunuilated and .irranged. The 



history of Clinton county is the story of its 
life; the exhibition of the vital historic forces 
which have been active in its progress. To tell 
of all the incidents, episodes and events which 
might be laboriously gathered from record and 
tradition would of itself be a profitless task, 
unless those facts exhibited iuid disclosed the 
civil and material progress of a people, and re- 
vealed the princi])lcs and forces which have 
actuated them. 

When the restless, courageous pioneer from 
New England or New York invaded un- 
known Michigan and found the way la- 
Imrious!)- t(j what is now Clinton county, 
from the geographical standpoint what 
.sort of a place did he find ; what barriers 
had Nature reared to oppose him; what 
had the climate in store for him : what avenues 
had Nature provided for comnninicaiing with 
the centers of wealth and manufacture; what 
quality of a soil must he lay naked now covered 
by a Inirden of forests; what had the ag^s 
treasured within their rock-bound vaults to 
which he might delve; what enemies lay am- 
bushed along the sinuous paths of his march? 
The.se questions must first be answered because 
the real life and (|uality of a people, like the 
strength and character of a man can hardly 
l)e estimated until something is known of the 
struggle, the defeats and victories, which have 
marred or marked the story. 



442 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES. 

Although fresh-water lakes are comparatively 
scarce in Clinton, and although its rivers are 
neither numerous nor large, nevertheless the 
pioneer found a country full of swamps and 
lowlands and often excessively wet. The Grand 
river which has perfoiTned so important a part 
in Michigan progress, intersects only the south- 
western corner of the county. The Maple 
river, now insignificant, crosses the county 
from Shiawas.see, remains with us for a short 
distance when it enters Gratiot in its north- 
western course, finally returning to Clinton as 
though it had forgotten something, blesses 
Essex and Lebanon townships briefly and is 
lost to us in Ionia county. The Looking Glass 
river is more gracious to Clinton and traverses 
the county from its eastern to its western line. 
Although at the present time these streams are 
little better than creeks, in the early days they 
were of considerable magnitude and volume. 
In those earlier days of Michigan's historv' as 
a state, when the "internal improvement" idea 
held sway, many promising projects were an- 
nounced for making these streams navigable, 
but all these schemes however well intended, 
failed of realization, and could their origin- 
ators attempted to navigate either of these rivers 
now-a-days in a row-boat, their former dreams 
would appear ludicrous to them. It may be 
remarked, however, that these streams were 
utilized to a valuable purpose in former days 
for water-power — saw-mills and flour mills 
lieing found along the banks of the Looking 
Glass and Maple rivers, and today these struc- 
tures may be frequently seen, desolate monu- 
ments to the energ}' and necessities of the set- 
tlers. 

Considering die fact that Clinton county is 
strictly inland and that its surface is generally 
unusually level, the fact that it has but a few 
streams and lakes is partially accounted for. 
And it is also probable that the removal of 
forests has had something to do in diminish- 
ing the water supply in those streams it has. 

Clinton County is far from being hilly. In 



fact the surface can best lie descrilied as un- 
dulating. In occasional sections this monotony 
is broken by small areas of hilly country, some 
parts of Bath, Victor and Lebanon townships 
being examples. It may be noted in records of 
the early surveys that "prairie lands" and 
"marshes" were found. Victor is hilly in the 
eastern jxjrtion ; \\'^atertown has a variety of 
surface and is generally rolling; Lebanon is 
varied by plains, bluffs and rolling uplands; 
Eagle is unusually varied, especially towards 
the Grand river, where the hills become abrupt 
and terminate in bluffs. Generally speaking, 
the level stretches are sufficiently varied to pre- 
sent a picturesque landscape, jiromote artificial 
drainage, but on the other hanfl, regular enough 
to render use of farm machinery easy. 

These sections of marshes were in the pioneer 
days of considerable extent and of most dis- 
couraging and forbidding aspect. In the days 
of settlement these tracts were generally con- 
sidered as utterly worthless and their presence 
and acreage were some justification for the 
opinions expressed by Michigan's early visit- 
ors who reported to the authorities at Washing- 
ton that the county was a great "morass." A 
large portion of these malaria-breeding tracts 
have in the process of drainage, natural and 
artificial, and under cultivation. l)een reclaimed 
and put upon a productive basis, but the original 
conditions were discouraging. The Chandler 
farm, one of Senator Zachariah Chandler's 
lirojects. was an early experiment in dealing 
with this land. The Chandler tract extended 
over a large portion of sections 29. 30, 31 and 
32 in Bath township and sections 25, 26 and 
36 in Dewitt. Senator Chandler purcha.sed of 
the Agricultural College and others a tract of 
3.160 acres known upon the surveyor's chart as 
"swamp lands." Of this farm so-called. 500 
acres was marsh meadow. 600 acres tamarack 
swamp and 800 acres of oak openings — up- 
lands. The drainage, as is usual in such sec- 
tions throughout the county, was a difficult 
])roblem. By elaborate and exjiensive artificial 
drainage, this project met with a measure of 
success. .\s may lie inferred. Bath township 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



443 



had at least its share of swamp lands. So ex- 
tensive were these tracts that the progress of 
Bath was comparatively tardy. It is said that 
the outlook was so gloomy and forbidding that 
the earlier settlers engaged in hunting and agri- 
culture was considered of secondaiy impor- 
tance. I-'or years the valuation of real and per- 
sonal propert}- in Bath, as fixed by the board 
of supervisors, was much less than that of any 
other tnwnshi]) in the county. Olive once held 
considerable waste lands within its IxTnlers; 
DeW'itt had a good share of swamps, especially 
in the southwestern portion where tamarack 
swamps abound. Greenbush once had thou- 
sands of acres of swamp and marsh to deal 
with. Settlers found the crossing of these low- 
lands a perilous undertaking. Today large 
areas of this land ha\e been ]Mrtially improved 
and they have pro\ed valuable for some pur- 
poses, as pasture lands for instance. Waste 
lands of IXillas has been reduced to a minimum. 
Eastern and southwestern Ringham was also 
marred by swampy areas which have by no 
means been entirely and successfully drained. 
However, the successful treatment of these 
swam]) lands has generallx' awaited the occu- 
pation and clearing of the better tracts, and the 
development of a more general and connected 
system of drainage, so that even at this date, 
many of these sections are as yet unfit for 
cultivation ;dtbo" many acres of this land are 
toilay under cultivation. .\s has been before 
Stated, the jjioneer farmer founrl a country that 
was generally wet and scarcely a section could 
he locate that had no lowlands or marshes. 
The settlers of Rochester Colony showed fore- 
sight in locating the tract they did. as that 
section of the county is and was among the best 
as regards that characteristic. Some ide^i of 
the magnitude of the task which confronted 
the pioneer farmer may Ije gathered, when the 
prevalence of artificial drains, ditches and tile 
drains is noted. There is scarcely a fami in 
the county that has not, at some date, been 
ditcheil in some parts at least, and the cost 
and expense that the farmers of the county have 
been ])ut to in making private drains and laying 
tile ilrains, woulil be almost beyond credibilitv. 



SLKK.VCIi AND SOIL. 

ihe emigrant home-seeker found the county 
quite heavily timbered. Oak, elm, beech and 
maple, ash, tamarack, birch, cedar, black-wal- 
nut, and occassionally a small tract of pine 
were among the varieties he found. Heavily 
timbered lands and timbered openings made up 
the greater |>)rtion of the county. The greater 
part of the timljer growing in the county was 
of neccssit}- sacrificed by the settler in clearing 
his farm. 'ihe timlier destroyed by this 
process of clearing by axe and flame would 
today rejiresent great wealth, but it had to be 
put out of the way s])eedily and thoroughly. 
Xow and tlien a lumber mill was built, but 
lumbering was not the ol)ject of the settlers: 
agriculture was their future. Bengal was ex- 
traordinary as to her forests, the township 
being heavilv covered with ash, liasswood, 
beech, elm and oak. Likewise Duplain was rich 
in forests and many ])riniiti\'e saw-mills were 
built along the banks of the Maple. Essex was 
called the "hardwood township;" there is 
.scarcely a township that did not have forests 
of the \arieties mentioned. DeWitt. however, 
was said to be an excei)tion as to pine trees. 
one being considered a curiosity, which was not 
the fact elsewhere. 

Neither had Clinton anything to offer to her 
settlers in mineral dejjosits. In 1873 borings 
were made for coal in Eagle town.ship. One of 
these borings showed the following section: 

Drift. 8 feet. 

Sand-rock. 2 7, feet. 

Coal in this vein. 

I'ire Clay. 3 feet. 

Light slate. 13 feet. 

Black slate. 1 1 feet. 

Sand rock, 2 feet. 

Coal, 35 inches. 

Sand-rock, 21 feet. 

In 1878 at Ovid a vein of coal of 12 inches 
was struck at fifty-eight feet, and in Duplain 
at one hun<lred and sixty-seven feet, no coal 
was found. In recent years small veins of 
coal have been found in boring for wells, here 
and there, but nothing of promise has ever l^een 



444 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



discovered. The pioneer of Clint(]n must find 
his wealth upon the surface; lier rocks had 
nothing in store for liim. The soil, however, 
was and is all that he could ask. The varieties 
are suffi/'nt to i, eet the requirements of general 
farming. Sand, gravel, clay and loam abound, 
with admixtures in endless proportions. DeW'itt 
has sand, gra\'el, anrl clay; the soil of Eagle is 
somewhat sandy in sections ; Essex posses.ses 
an admixture of clay and gravelly loam with 
alluvial deposits in lowland sections; Riley 
offers a ver^^ productive clay loam; Water- 
town has a sandy loam with a clay sub-soil ; but 
rdl these varieties are to l)e found in even' 
township of the county in various proportions. 
and with every shade of distinction. 

Here then is the situation which confronted 
our forefathers. This was not a particularly 
inviting country at that time. Forests had to 
be cleared away Ijy axe and logging chain and 
fire. Roads must be liewn through nameless 
tracts; he found few rivers to utilize; no vein 
of wealth to lay bare; he was leagues from the 
center of civilization in an inland country 
with no means of natural communication and 
egress; areas of marsh and swamp lands sur- 
rounded him, making his progress often more 
laborious and engendering fe\-ers to pester him. 
The Indian had not yet been removed from his 
native heritage by the diplomacy and hardy 
courage of Lewis Cass. The wolf, bear and 
panther had not as yet yielded their possession 
of the forests and for years would disjiute the 
right of the settler to invade their domains. 
Although today there is scarcely any unpro- 
ductive lantl in Clinton countv. this was not 
true once. 

Is it not true here, as always has been else- 
where, that the high plane of life, socially, 
civilly and commercially which is found in Clin- 
ton today has arisen from the intrinsic strength 
,-uid intelligence of the men who went before 
us and solved these problems in the wilderness, 
rather than froin the gifts that nature has be- 
stowed ? The struggle against these barriers 
has helped to make manhod more manly and 
noble, and American bred ambitions have made 
a great county of happy and prosperous homes. 



THE B.\RRIERS REMOVED. 

Had the Detroit settlement been made by a 
colony of nationality and character that founded 
the Xew England institutions rather than by 
a peo])le who inherited and fostered no ambi- 
tions and displayed no adaptability for institu- 
tions rjf self-government, the histor}' of Michi- 
gan and of Clinton count}' might have been 
much different. The reports of early tra\'elers 
as til Michigan's "dismal swamps" was not the 
(inly deterrent infiuence which retarded the set- 
tlement and development of the state. The 
b^rench occupants had, it is true, suffered the 
burdens and restrictions of a succession of wars 
and when die American government finally be- 
came possessed of the Northwest Territor}-. the 
condition of this people was extreme to the 
point of degradation. The nati\e complacency 
of disposition, lack of initiative and invention, 
habits of sociability which mark the life of the 
habitant was illy adapted to invaile die wilder- 
ness l>eyond and add new civilization to the 
dominion of (,'adillac. These people were un- 
able to provide for themselves and manifested 
no ambitions beyond enjoyment of their ex- 
clusive, i-solated anrl toneless lives. After 
.\merican occupation, congress found it neces- 
sary to make appropriations to aid these Michi- 
gan French settlements and head off starvation. 
On the other hand, besides lacking in the vigor 
and pioneer enterprise, which was so promi- 
nent a Yankee trait, these people were unable 
to understand the self-government spirit which 
dominated the eastern sections. The demo- 
cratic idea was foreign to both their nature and 
traditions. Surely the country t(5 the west and 
nortii of Detroit could expect nothing from 
these subjects of nionarchial ideals, and .\mer- 
ican ideals and institutions realized but little 
from a source .so stagniant. Clinton county 
must remain an unbroken wilderness until the 
descendants of the Revolutionary fathers should 
begin their aggressive westward march. Clin- 
ton county, with other counties of Michigan, 
owes much to the intelligence, energ}-. and 
courage of Lewis Cass, once governor of 
Michigan territory, again .secret.'uy of war. It 



n 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



445 



was through his faithful efforts that the many 
obstacles to einii^ration from the east to Michi- 
gan were graclualiy surmounted until finally 
steamers on the great lakes numliered among 
their passengers families from New England 
and New York, bound for the developing 
northwest. It is recorded that in May. 1836. 
ninety steamers reached Detroit loaded with 
new settlers, land speculators and adventurers, 
looking for western lands. Of this influx our 
county received a direct benefit, although a few 
years later the number of those who found 
their way so far into the interior was much 
greater. The rude roads leading through the 
forests inward, began to l)e thronged with 
wagons of immigrants. 

.\s has been before indicated, the greater 
portion of the life of Lewis Cass was spent in 
efforts to Americanize Michigan. For years 
Detroit under the governorship of La Motte 
Cadillac, was all there was to Michigan. Al- 
though the Jesuit Fathers had traversed the re- 
gion of the great lakes for more than a century, 
it was still "terra incognita." When Cass as- 
sumed authority he appreciated the magnitude 
of his task ; the Indians must lie pacified and 
their i>)Ssessor\' rights extinguished by treaties. 
The eastern idea of the character of Michigan 
lands must be corrected: the self-governing and 
democratic, or rather the American system of 
goxemment, must be installed; lands must be 
surveyed and opened to settlers; the baleful in- 
fluence of the traders must be exterminated ; 
the.se were a few of the tasks which lay before 
Michigan's statesman-warrior. Cass realized 
that the only way by which Michigan could l)e 
made a commonwealth was along the path of 
immigration from New England and the east. 
Settlers from those sections would bring with 
' them into the benighted northwest, energy, 
thrift, .\merican arts and manufactures, and 
better than all, vigorous and wholesome ideas 
of self-government. Thus it was that through 
Cass's efforts, the great state of Michigan was 
o]>ened to the civilization, planted years before 
by the Pilgrim forefathers in nxkbound New 
England. .\nd Clinton county owes its be- 
ginnings to this career of laborious self-sacrifice, 
directlv. 



THE WESTWARD MOVEMENT. 

It was as late as 1832 that the first settler 
reached Clinton, one Hiram Benedict es- 
tablishing a trading post at what is now Maple 
Rapids. In 1833 David Scott located a station 
on the Looking Glass near the present site of De- 
Witt, (iradually the .settlers Ijegan to come 
singly and in groups. They came from New 
I'jigland. priiici])all\- from Massachusetts, New 
N'ork. Pennsyhania. Many stopped in Wayne 
and Oakland and Washtenaw counties, and 
again found their way into Clinton. Many 
emigrants from Germany and France and Ire- 
land lan<Ied at Detroit in quest of homes, and 
a number located in Clinton. As years rolled on 
;ind Michigan became better known, the popu- 
lation of the county increased marvelously and 
thus this county drew upon almost every state 
in the L^nion for its peoi)le. 

Bearing in mind the kind of a race the set- 
tlers of Clinton sprang from; the ideas which 
had been their heritage; the future of the county 
is assured and the tale of progress, in subduing 
the barriers liefore mentioned can better be un- 
derstood and appreciated. We have here a people 
who believe in public education : therefore 
schools will be made; who are of religious par- 
entage and environment, so churches must be 
built; who unrlerstand the function of "the 
])eople" in .self-government, so civil organiza- 
tions were early instituted and law and order 
]irevai!ed. self-imposed and .self -en forced. Thus 
it is that community life began in Clinton. 

i:\ll>i;.\( KS OK I'RE-IXDI.\X OCCl"P.\TIOX. 

Clinton county is not without evidences of a 
connection with the legendan,- pre-historic 
mould-builders. In the eastern and north- 
eastern jxirtions of the county, many monu- 
mental earthworks made h\- this unknown race 
still exist with outlines of varied definiteness 
remaining. It is doubtless true that although 
not so numerous, other parts of the county are 
luarked by the customs of this interesting peo- 
ple, were one able to look beyond the conceal- 
ing effects of ages and the elements. Dense 
forests, tamarack swamps, marshes, prairies and 



446 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



lowlands comprised the surface of our county 
in those days when the Looking Glass river was 
called by our Indian predecessors the "Wab- 
wasin," and the Maple was designated by the 
French travelers and traders the Du Plain 
(Riviere Du Plain). Even that date seems 
long ago and almost prehistoric and the physical 
features of the county beyond imagination. But 
e\en then, these silent suggestive relics of an 
earlier race (and perhaps of a civilization long 
antiquated) serve to impress upon the mind of 
the observer the force of the idea that time is 
long and that the life of our county as we are 
able to record it, is but the most insignificant 
fragment of the whole stor)- whose pages are 
largely covered in oblivion. 

The territory comprised within the borders 
of Ovid and Duplain townships exhibits the 
most marked and clearly defined earthworks of 
the Moundbuilders and of these the township 
of Du Plain contains the larger number. Shia- 
wassee county has also some very interesting 
contributions in this connection. An earthwork 
relic was visited by Mr. B. O. Williams as early 
as 1829. Mr. Williams was one of the earliest 
settlers of this section of Michigan, having with 
his brother purchased lands at Che-boc-wa-ting, 
or the Big Rapids of the Shiawassee river in 

1833- 

Mr. Wilbams described this relic or monu- 
ment as "a mound discovered upon the bank 
of the Shiawassee river near Newburg in Shia- 
wassee county. It was nearly circular in fonn, 
and consisted of a parapet inclosing an interior 
space. It was surmounted by a ditch, and had 
an opening or gateway facing the east, with de- 
tached mounds fronting this entrance." Gener- 
ally these mounds appear to have been made for 
burial purposes, but the one described above 
seems to have been a fortification. ^ 

In section number thirty-two in southeastern 
Duplain may lie seen the remains of probably 
the largest of these mounds in Clinton county. 
It is forty feet in length and five feet in 
height. An oak tree over fourteen inches in 
diameter was found growing from the side of 
this earthwork by the earlier visitors. Several 
smaller mounds ha\^been noticed in the vicinity 



of the one just described. Skulls and lx)hes 
of human beings have been unearthed in this 
vicinit}'. .\ short distance from the group 
aliove referred to, and on section number thirty- 
three, is another group of mounds, which be- 
fore civilization began to obliterate their out- 
lines, were interesting objects of speculation. 
Of this group the largest is twenty-five feet 
long, twenty feet wide and three feet in height. 
Rows of inferior mounds lie adjacent to the 
base of this larger one, while south of it has 
been traced the form of a large, oblong earth- 
work one and one-half feet high, twenty-two 
feet in length and fourteen feet in width. An- 
other in the neighborhood is circular in form 
and twenty feet in diameter. On many oc- 
casions human bones have been excavated from 
these prehistoric graveyards and sepulchres. In 
the northern ])art of Ovid township and in the 
neighborhood of the section in Duplain before 
mentioned as containing these earthworks, have 
been found groups of mounds containing por- 
tions of human skeletons. It is a matter of in- 
terest to know that upon the top of one of these 
mounds a ^'enerable oak tree was found stand- 
ing whose rings of growth numbered 143. 
However, these monumental structures are fast 
fading in definiteness of form by the obliter- 
ating process of elements and cultivation and 
in a few years, doubtless few traces will re- 
main. Our earlier inhabitants evidently did 
not view these landmarks of an unwritten 
history of their locality with the sentimental 
reverence which we of to-day might attach to 
their presence. 

However, these mounds have not ceased to 
attract attention to this late date. Even now, 
as newspaper report has it. these ancient earth- 
works and burial mounds are being excavated 
in Saginaw county. Indian skeletons found in 
this vicinity are being sent to the Glasgow- 
Universities of Scotland for scientific research. 

IXniAX TR.\niTI0XS. 

But years before surveyors under the au- 
thority of the young government at Washing- 
tiin traversed with transit and compass the 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



447 



forest wilderness of which Clinton was then 
a part. ])reparatory to oiKMiinjj the reg'ion to 
settlers ; even jjrior to that almost forgotten 
time when French navigators and adventurers 
ventured into the horders of the forhidding and 
unknown area where Jesuit Fathers struggled 
against heathen ignorance and customs and died 
martyrs to their mission; before those strenuous 
days when Lewis Cass planned and labored for 
the emancipation of Michigan in the northwest, 
a history was being lived, and the foundation 
for a stoiy laid, whose pathetic and tragic in- 
cidents interwoven with strife and slaughter, 
led to the extermination of a people and the 
breaking of a defense on behalf of the red men 
against the great westward expansion of the 
powerful young republic, which finalh- dis- 
possessed the Indian of his Michigan. 

The Chippewa nation were occupants and 
original owners of the wilderness country- pene- 
trated by the Saginaw river and its tributaries. 
Those tril^es that controlled the Shiawassee 
valley, and those of die Looking Glass and 
Maple, were of the Saginaw division or branch 
of the Ojibway or Chippewa nation. Those 
bands that inhabited Shiawassee and Clinton 
counties were often designated by traders ac- 
cording to their location, but they were mem- 
bers a!id descendants of the great tribe. A few 
of the Ottawa tribe and a limited number of 
Pottawattamies became allied in the course of 
years with the Chippewas. but their number 
was insignificant comparatively. 

By the tradition of the Chippewas, the once 
powerful Sauks held undisputefl possession of 
a great territory in Michigan, including the one 
in question, in years prior to the invasion of 
the Chippewas. The Chipiiewas, who lived in 
the north country had long desired to possess 
the territory thus occupied by the Sauks, until 
finally a league and conspiracy was formed 
with the northern Ottawas and the southern 
Ottawas inhabiting then the southeastern part 
of Michigan, against the Sauks, inspired by 
the envy of the Chijiijcwas. 

In carrying out the invasion which had been 
planned in council, the Ottawas marched from 
the south while the confederates of the north 



moved down Lake Huron, crossed Saginaw 
bay. The Sauks at their central village near 
the present site of the city of Saginaw were 
taken Ijy surprise and were wholly unprepared 
to meet the preconcerted assault. The murderous 
attack was feebly and ineffectively resisted. The 
li mialiawk and knife soon laid the warriors of 
tile once jjowerful Sauks low. Women and chil- 
dren were not spared from slaughter. The in- 
vaders pursued their cruel work to the limit, 
pushing on to other settlements, slaying, de- 
stroving and burning, spreading death and hor- 
rible desolation. "Skull Island" in the Saginaw 
was sought as a place of refuge by a few 
fugitives but die bloodthirsty victors did not 
jiause in their cruel work of extermination until 
even these were dead, sparing only a few 
women. 

While this slaughter was being peqjetrated 
upon the Saginaw Sauks. the Ottawas from 
the S(3utli emulated their Chippewa allies in their 
attack upon the villages in the Flint country. 
The Shiawassee village shared the fate of the 
odiers. the combined armies of the Chipi:)ewas 
and Ottawas continuing their relentless work 
until scarcely a remnant of the Sauk nation re- 
maine<l to escape. This miserable campaign of 
extermination was continued over the country. 
along the Looking Glass and Maple river vil- 
lages, so that Clinton county was a part of the 
scene of the relentless, vindictive massacre. 

The conquered territory had theretofore been 
regarded by the Chii>pewas and other tribes on 
the outside as a verv- desirable hunting ground. 
This fact, together widi the rivalry which had 
four years been engendered lietween the Sauks 
and their neighbors, accounts for the war waged 
bv the confederacy of Giippcwas and Ottawas 
against tiiem. The subjugation of the Sauks 
was terribly complete. For generations the 
Chippewas and Ottawas held the conquered 
wilderness as a common hunting ground. 
I'inally in.spired by superstitious fears, the 
countv was deserted by them for a period until 
finally the Chippewas returned to the .scene of 
their fomier conquest, and erected their villages 
at favored points throughout the tract, until 
the Saginaw Cliippewas became the undisputed 



448 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



occupants of (linton and otiier adjacent 
counties. Tiiis story is the traditional account 
of how the Cliippewas became masters of the 
Saginaw country. 

Ahev this final occupancy, the Oiippewas 
figured prominently in the histor\' of Michi- 
gan and the northwest. At the battle of the 
Thames in 1813 they figured desperately, but 
the defeat of the Indian allies forever crushed 
the warfare against the authority of the gov- 
ernment, and the Chippewas returned. to their 
villages broken in spirit and dejected. After 
the treaty of peace which ended hostilities at 
that time, the Chippewas never again entered 
the lists against the whites (or pale-faces). 

THE INDIA.X TR.\DERS .\RRIVE. 

The first of the whites to come in contact 
with the Saginaw Chippewas, were fur trad- 
ers of the French. Saginaw was the center of 
this trade with the Saginaw Chippewas. 
Bolieu and Tremble were the first traders who 
established posts at .Saginaw. Bolieu dealt 
with the Indians along the Flint, Saginaw. Shia- 
wassee. Looking Glass and Maple rivers. It is 
thought that his post was once located on the 
Shiawassee near the present site of Owosso, 
then known as the "Big Rapids." 

Traders Jacob Smith and Conrad Ten Eyck 
founded posts at Saginaw Ijefore the opening 
of the war of 1812. The ravages of war and 
the spread of hostilities among the Indians com- 
pelled the traders to abandon their posts during 
the war. l)ut they subsequently returned, and 
continued to deal with the broken Oiippewas. 

In 1815 Louis Campau oi^ened a trading post 
at Saginaw. Later John R. Cushway, Gen. 
Riley. W'hitniore Knaggs. Baptiste Chochios 
traded with the Indians of the Saginaw and 
Flint valleys, and with those of the Shia- 
wassee, Looking Cdass and Maple river re- 
gions. Cushway. Knaggs and Campau later 
established posts in this territoiy. the first being 
opened about i8jn. 

In 1826 either Cushway or George Campau 
opened a trading post at the present site of the 
\"illage of .Ma])]e Rapids, on the scnUh bank of 



the Maple river. It was called the Cushway 
]xist. however, as the Michigan legislature, in 
1837, passed an act laying out a state road from 
the center of Eaton county to "Cushway's trad- 
ing post on the Maple river in the county of 
Clinton." Old settlers are of the opinion that 
George Campau, who was a brother of Louis 
Campau of the Saginaw post, succeeded Cush- 
way at this point. John Johnson succeeded 
Cam])Hu on the Maple and remained an in- 
habitant of the county until his death in 1875. 

THE I.\I)1.\X.S .\xn THE SETTLERS. 

Near the site of the village of DeWitt in 
Clinton county on the Looking Glass, as late 
as 1 83 1, the Indian village of \\'abwahnasupu 
was inhabited by Chippewas. Few settlers 
knew anything about this village which was 
soon abandoned after the date mentioned. On 
La Rixiere Du Plain, named by the English 
the Ma])le, was located at an early date the 
capital village of Chief Makitoquet. Many of 
the white settlers knew Chief Makitoquet and 
his [icoplc. as this settlement continued to e.xist 
for some time after the inwasiun nf the whites. 
Makitixpiet's village was located on the north- 
west c|uarter of section numlier three of Essex 
townsbiji. His people occupied other village 
and cam])ing grounds westward along the 
Ma])le. Makito(|uet's lieutenant was Chief 
\\'intag(>nish who jnu'chased land from the na- 
tional go\ernment in Lebanon in 1837. Some 
\'ears later ^\'intagonish conveved to Xan-way- 
na-me. bis niece, described as the daughter of 
O'Cjee .Maliqua}-. the northeast one (piarter of 
the northeast one (|uarter of section fourteen of 
Lebanon township. The chief signed, by mak- 
ing the cross, as shown by the records. Liber 
"D" of deeds at jiage ji'k 

The Indians of the Clinton and .Shiawassee 
settlements were Saginaw Chipjiewas and were 
scattered alxiut in settlements, each having its 
local chief. The invasion of the armies of the 
Rqiublic followed by demoralizing defeats f)f 
the Indian confederates had broken the central 
])ower of the great Indian nations. Hunting 
occupied them jirinciiiallv although they culti- 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY 



449 



vated small cpcn tracts rudely and raised com. 
lK>tatnes. etc.. in small (|uantities. It was their 
custom tn use the srmie ])atch of land season 
after season fur corn ])lanting;. Sugar-making 
was one <if their principal industries (if sucli 
term may he used). In Clinton they utilized 
the maple groves throughout the country. 

South of the line 1)etwccn Clinton and Ing- 
ham counties, once tlouri.shed an Inrlian settle- 
ment under Chief Okemos. who was later 
known to the Clinton settlers. This people, 
although they were known as the Red Cedar 
Indians, were also Chijjpewas. Qinton county 
was a hunting ground of the Red Cedar trilie. 
Chief Okemos had a career worthy of mention. 
His hirth was in Shiawassee somewhere about 
1788: he took an active ])art in the war of 1812 
and particijjated in the Sandusky fight. This 
fact he could never forget. On that occasion 
Okemos. while acting with other Chi]Ji)ewa war- 
riors, as a scout for the British, fell against a 
companv of American cavalry and received 
wounds from sahres which all but ended his 
usefulness. Okemos carried scars from sabre 
wounds to his grave and never fully recovered 
his strength and vigor. .\t the time of this 
incident Okemos was not a chief. But as a 
reward for his exhibition of bravery and en- 
durance, he subse(|uently became the head of 
the Red Cedar band. He obtained with other 
Indians of the territory, a jjardon from the 
American government for the aid he had given 
to its British enemies, and he then and there 
buried his tomahawk, .\fter the war had ended 
Okemos and his Red Cedar band took up their 
residence and made a village in Ingham county, 
the station of Okemos remaining upon the map 
as a reminder. The old chief was thoroughly 
addicted to the use of "fire-water," and his 
habits in this respect ultimately resulted in his 
degradation. Chief Okemos died on December 
4. 1858, at his camp on the Looking Glass 
ri\er near DeW'itt village. His body placed 
in a rude coffin with his buck-horn handled 
knife, pipe, hatchet, toiwcco and provisions for 
the journey to the "happy hunting grounds," 
was taken to an ancient Indian cemetery in 
Ionia, and interred on the banks of the Grand 
river. 



Indian bands continued to visit different 
points in Clinton county for vears after it had 
begun to be generally settled. In the village 
of St. Johns they were frequent visitors, and 
reappeared regularly. Indian trails remained 
fa\orite a\enucs of tra\el across the country. 

.\fter Clinton began its separate existence, 
the boru^d of county commissioners and later 
the board of sui)ervisors. issued certificates to 
persons who presented to them proof of having 
slain a wolf or wolves, then a dreadefl enemy 
of the scattered settlers. These "wolf cer- 
tificates" were often issued to Indians as the 
crndv countv records show. The following 
names api)ear on the county records as recijiients 
of wolf-bounty : Xo-wab-a-ba. .\sh-ha-be, San- 
lo-de, Shant-comagin. Me-we-zan. \\'a-ba-gim- 
ish-corn, .An-gun-gno-ung, E-be-no-sha, Bish- 
•she-mony, Pash-a-ton, Bosh-ka-zick, Parmasc- 
(|uav. Coo-cosh, and finallv in 1845, ".An 
Indian." 

It is recalled by settlers that in collecting 
wolf l.ountv from the county treasury, many de- 
ceptions were practiced by the more unscrupu- 
lous, that one wolf pelt often served for the 
issue of more than one certificate. Some "hunt- 
ers" artfully carried their wolf pelts from 
count)- to county and were more effective in 
extenninating the count)' funds than in ex- 
terminating wolves. 

C.OXKRXOR l.KWIS C.\SS SUCCEEDS. 

Reference has lieen made heretofore of the 
part that Lewis Cass took in opening the in- 
terior of Michigan to civilization, and to the 
diplomatic methods he employed in the con- 
duct of his office. Let us pause for a moment 
and review the course of events which ulti- 
mately led to a peaceful solution of the ques- 
tion of Indian ijossessorj- rights in Micbigjui. 

The W'ashington government has invariably 
<lealt with the Indian as having a certain in- 
dei)endence — an indejiendent organized govern- 
ment, and as owning by right ixjssessor)- inter- 
ests in tiie lands and territories occupied by him. 
Consistently with this attitude, our national 
govenmient has always acquired exclusive 
rights to territory occupied Iiy the Indians by 



450 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



treaties made liy ambassadors or authorized 
commissioners sitting in open council with the 
chiefs and leaders of the tribe or nation con- 
cerned. 

The history of the relations between our na- 
tional government and the Indian tribes, is told 
in a succession of treaties, and of these Michi- 
gan was often a suliject for diplomatic adjust- 
ment. 

When we start out to deal \vith this phase 
of our history, we must keep in mind the fact 
that according to the principle of fair dealing 
early adopted by tiie Washington government, 
the Chippewa. Pottawattamie and Ottawa 
Indians, who occujiied Michigan, had possessory 
risfhts and interests which could be conveyed 
and transferred only by yoluntaiy grant made 
by the Indians. 

In 1795 General Anthony Wayne, acting in 
behalf of the United States, met with the chiefs 
of the Chippewa, Ottawa, and Pottawattamie 
and other interested tribes, at Greenville, Ohio, 
where a treaty was concluded wherein the In- 
dians ceded to the United States as follows : 
"The post of Detroit and all the lands to the 
north, the west, and the south of it of which 
the Indian title has been extinguished by gifts 
or grants to the French or English govem- 
ments, and so much more land to be annexed 
to the district of Detroit as shall be compre- 
hended between the river Rosine (Raisin) on 
the south ; lake St. Clair on the north, and a 
line, the general course of which shall be six 
miles distant from the west end of lake Erie 
and Detriiit river." In consideration for the 
abo\-e cession, the United States confirmed to 
the Indians practically all their claims to ]\Iichi- 
gan lerritnry. The language of the treaty was 
as follows: "The United States relinquished 
their claims to all other Indian lands north- 
ward of the river Ohio, eastward of the Mis- 
sissippi and westward and southward of the 
Great Lakes and the waters uniting them, ac- 
cording to the boundary agreed on between the 
United States and the king of Great Britain in 
the peace made between them in the year 1783." 
* * * * "the Indian trilies who have a right 
t(j those lands ( <lescril)ed abi.i\e) are quietly to 



enjo\- them ; hunting, planting and dwelling 
thereiin as long as they shall please, without 
any molestation from the United States; but 
when these trilies. or an)- of them, shall be dis- 
])osed to sell their lands or any part of them, 
thev are to be sold only to the L^nited States; 
and until such sale the United States will pro- 
tect the said Indian tribes in the quiet enjoy- 
ment of their lands against all citizens of the 
United States, and against all other white per- 
sons who intrude uj^on the same." 

It is e\-ident that in this treaty the United 
States confirmeil in their Indian occupants, the 
rights of the Indian tribes who were parties 
thereto in the territon,' of Michigan to per- 
petually and peacefully enjoy the same until 
such time as they should voluntarily convey and 
grant the same to the L'nited States. Clinton 
county passed in this conveyance and quit-claim. 

It is worthy of our attention to note how 
the .\merican diplomacy actuated in the main 
by sound judgment and fair dealing, gradually 
acquired the territory embraced within Michi- 
gan borders, from the Indian possessors, whose 
rights were recognized so unequivocally in the 
treaty of 1795. 

By the treaty of Detroit of date November 
17. 1807, the L'nited States acquired by pur- 
chase a large tract of southeastern Michigan. 
The United States was represented "by William 
Hull, governor of the territory of Michigan, 
superintendent of Indian affairs and sole com- 
missioner of the United States to conclude and 
sign a treaty or treaties with the several na- 
tions of Indians northwest of the river Ohio, 
on the one i)art. and the .sachems, chiefs and 
warriors of the Ottaway. Chippeway. Wyan- 
dotte and I'littawattamie nations of Indians, on 
the other part." 

Bv the terms ni diis treaty in general, the 
Indians released to the United States their 
claim u])on a large section of country 
whose western boundary was afterwards known 
as "The Indian r>iiundaiy Line." leaving the 
Clinton county cmmtry still widiin the terms 
of the General Wayne treaty before quoted. In 
pavnienl fur this territory the United States 
agreed to jiay to the Chippewa and Ottawa 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY 



451 



triljes each the sum of $3,333.33. -'^aid sum to 
lie payable in money, jjoods. domestic animals 
and ag;ricultural im])lements. at the discretion 
of (jovernor Hull; the Wxandotte and Potta- 
wattamie tribes respectively receiveil the sum 
of $1.6^)6.66. In addition to the alxive sums 
the Ottawas aiid Chippcwas were each to re- 
ceive an annuity of $2,000.00 and the other two 
tribes each an annuity of $[,000.00. It is in- 
terestinqf to note that by this treaty the Chip- 
pewas and ()tta\\;is were to be supplied with a 
blacksmith for a period of ten years. 

During the war of 1812, these tribes by their 
hostility to the Americans, were deemed to 
have forfeited all their rights, privileges and 
possessions held by them prior to the war, but 
several treaties were subsequently entered into, 
restoring to them these forfeited rights on Sep- 
tember 8. 181 5. 

The treaty in which we are most directly 
concerned v,as concluded in 1819. The in- 
cidents of this cession are remarkably interest- 
ing, and the account given in the Qinton 
County History of 1880 can not be improved 
upon anrl is given at length below : 

"The treaty by which the Indian owners 
ceded to the United States a large scope of ter- 
ritory including all the present county of Clin- 
ton and all that jiart of Shiawassee not em- 
braced in the Detroit cession of 1807, was held 
at Saginaw, in September, 18 19, by Gen. Lewis 
Cass, governor of Michigan and ex officio 
Indian commissioner, with the chiefs and head 
men of the Chippewa tribe of the lower penin- 
sula. Soon after the war of 18 12-15, the at- 
tention of the westbound emigrants from the 
old states began to l)e strongly directed towards 
Michigan territory, and it l:)ecame evident to 
the clear mind of Governor Cass that, broad 
as was the domain acquired by the treaties of 
1795 and 1807, it would soon be found too 
narrow to receive the immigration which had 
already begun to spread westward and north- 
ward from Detroit. He therefore at once set 
about the task of further securing cessions from 
the natives, and having laid his plans before the 
government, and received its sanction with au- 
thority to proceed in the matter, he convened 
the chiefs in council as above mentioned. 



1 be g(i\ern(ir, accompanied by quite a nu- 
memus retinue, composed of his secretaries, 
Rcibert .\. ['-orsyth (who was also acting com- 
missioner), John L. Leib and D. G. Whitney, 
w itli several other persons, set out from Detroit 
on horseback on the 7th day of September, and 
liroceeding northwardly through the woods and 
• ipenings b\- way of Royal Oak, Pontiac, Silver 
Lake. Grand Blanc, and the Grand Traverse 
of the Mint river (now Flint city), arrived at 
tiie Saginaw treaty-ground on the loth. Two 
small vessels, — a sloop and a schooner. — which 
had left Detroit a few days Ijefore, had already 
arrixed. and lay moored in the river. They 
were laden with subsistence stores, silver coin 
to be used in payment of the lands expected to 
be ceded, and goods intended for Indian pres- 
ents: and they brought also a company of the 
Third United States infantry, under command 
of Capt. C. L. Cass (a brother of the governor), 
who had disembarked his command, and en- 
camped it on the bank of the stream. The 
presence of these troops was thought to be 
necessary, in view of the possibility of an at- 
tem])t at violence by some of the bands. 

On his arrival. General Cass found a large 
number of Indians assembled, but yet the at- 
tendance was not as numerous as he had ex- 
pected. Having found, upon inquiry, that a 
number of the more remote bands were un- 
represented, he dispatched runners to the vil- 
lages on the Huron (now Cass). Flint, Shia- 
wassee, Mi,shtegayock, Maple and Tittabawas- 
see rivers, to give further notification to the 
chiefs and to urge them to come in and join 
in the council. 

This pressing invitation had the desired 
effect, and nearly all the absentee chiefs and 
warriors, with their squaws and pappooses 
made haste to join their red brethren at the 
rendezvous. 

When all had come in, and the preparations 
were complete the council was opened, in a 
large house (or more properly a bower, as its 
covering composed principally of the branches 
of trees), which had been built for the oc- 
casion, on the Kank of the Saginaw, by Louis 
Campau, the trader, by direction of General 
Cass. All around this stnicture, and crowding 



45^ 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



clnselv up to the line which they were not 
allowed to enter, were squaws and pappooses 
from e\ery band of the Saginaw Chippewa 
tribe, eager to look upon the ceremonies which 
were little less than mysterious to them. Next 
in their front — and inside the leafy "council- 
liQiise'" — were the young men and warriors, 
while within their circle, seated on the trunks 
of trees which had been placed there for that 
liurpose. were the chiefs and sagamores, those 
of the highest rank being clustered round a low 
platform of hewn logs, on which were seated 
Gen. Cass, and his secretaries, — Forsyth, Leib 
and Whitney. — Capt. Cass and Lieut. John 
Peacock, of the Third Infantry, Capt. Chester 
Root, of the United States artillery. W'hitmore 
Knaggs (Indian trader, sub-agent, and jjrincipal 
interpreter), and some others. Other mter- 
preters present were Louis Beaufait, John Hur- 
son. William Tuckey. and Henry Connor, who 
was known among the Indians as Wabaskin- 
debay. nr "White Hair." Among the traders 
who made themseU-es officious on the occasion 
were Louis and Antoine Campau, Jacob Smith 
and .\rchibald Lyons, who was afterwards 
drowned in the Tittabawassee while in the em- 
ploy of G. D. and E. S. Williams at their sta- 
tion near where Midland city now stands. 

Gen. Cass opened the council by an address to 
the Indians, delivered through his interpreters. 
He told them that the great father (the Presi- 
dent) earnestly desired to preserve and perpetu- 
ate the peace which had been established between 
their tribes and the government : that he had the 
welfare of his red children at heart, and wished 
to see them gradually change their mode of life 
by dei^ending more on the pursuits of agri- 
culture and less on hunting and fishing, which 
would grow more and more precarious year by 
year because of the advance of white immigra- 
tion which was moving restles.sly towards them, 
and in a little time their streams would become 
less prolific, and their game would be driven 
to more remote hunting grounds. He e.\- 
I)laine(l to them that the gosernnient, wishing 
to purchase their lands for the use of white 
settlers, would pay them a generous price ; and 
that other lands, ample in extent, and as fertile 



as these, would be set apart for the perpetual 
use of themselves and their children. 

The original object of Gen. Cass was not 
only to induce the Chippewas to cede their lands, 
but also to obtain from them an agreement to 
remove from the peninsula and locate them- 
selves on tracts to be selected for them west of 
Lake IMichigan. or perhaps beyond the Mis- 
sissippi. The object was made apparent by the 
tenor of his opening speech, and it roused the 
opposition and resentment of the chiefs to such 
a degree as to threaten a suspension of all 
negotiatious. The first Indian who spoke in 
repl\- to the governor was Kishkawko. the prin- 
c\\y<{\ chief of the Saginaws. He spoke in a 
\iolent and angry manner against the cession 
of anv of their lands and advised the breaking 
up of the council. He was, however, consider- 
ably under the influence of liquor at the time, 
and on this account his harangue had less effect 
than that of Ogemawkeketo (a name meaning 
"chief speaker"), who immediately followed 
Kishkawko in a sjjeech which was far less 
\iolent, but quite as uncompromising in its 
op]X)sition to the olijects of Gen. Cass. Mishen- 
anonequet and other chiefs spoke in nearly the 
same vein, and when the council was ended for 
the dav the prospects of the conclusion of a 
treatv was far from favorable. At the close, 
Gen. Cass, after having told the chiefs in a 
friendlv manner to go to their wigwams "and 
smoke and talk the matter over together." re- 
tired with his secretaries to their quarters in 
a state of disapiJtiintment and great anxiety in 
view of the not improbable failure of the 
negotiations. There was one favorable circum- 
stance, however: the chief. Kishkawko, had 
reached a state of heli)less intoxication, and he 
remained in that condition for the following 
eight or ten days, not again making his ap- 
l)earance until all the terms of the treaty had 
been agreed on. 

The Indians had retired sullen and almost re- 
bellious, and no other session of the council was 
held for several days. But during that time 
powerful influences in favor of the treaty had 
been Ijrought to bear on them by Jacob Smith 
and other traders, who wished, for private rea- 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



453 



sons of their own. td sec tlie sale consummated. 
The trader Sniitli. in particular, was in favor 
with old XcDiue and a threat numlier of the other 
chiefs, and his inllncnce over them was great. 
He was favorable to the cession, because in it 
he cx])ected to (and eventually did) .secure a 
number nf choice resenations of the land for 
his children. .\rchibald Lyons was another 
who expected land received) a similar favor 
for his half-breed dau.y;hter {•'lizabeth. Several 
other traders, ( .inion^' whom a ]irincip:d one 
was Lniis C'am])au) stood well in the confidence 
of the ChipiJewas, and all these exerted their 
powers of persuasion to induce the Indians to 
make the treaty, in the hope in receiving cer- 
tain arrearages due to them out of the silver 
c<")in which would be paid in consideration of 
the cession. 

Gen. Cass, although he was Governor of 
Michigan and commissioner of indiaii af¥airs, 
and was backed by the militaiy force of the 
United States, did not wield one-half the 
])ower ()\er the savages which was exercised 
by the traders : but the latter used theirs so 
effectuall}- that at the end of a few days they 
had nearly overcome the opposition. Having 
accomplished this result, they notified Gen. 
Cass (who had all the while been aware of the 
means that were being etnployed), and he there- 
u])on recon\ened the chiefs and warriors in the 
council-house. 

At this second council there was still a con- 
siderable amount of discussion among the 
chiefs, but as the principal difficulty had already 
l)een surmounted by the arguments and per- 
.suasions of the traders, the .scenes of the pre- 
vious meeting were not re-enacted here. All the 
circumstances were now favorable for the con- 
clusion of a treaty. The most determined op- 
ponent, Kishkawko, was absent (not yet hav- 
ing recovered from iiis debauch ) , and the chief 
speaker, Ogemawkeketo, had been won over by 
the traders. Gen. Cass, having found that the 
Indians were bitterly hostile to the plan for 
removing tliem beyond Lake Michigan, and 
that if the measure were insisted on. it would 
most probably result in the failure of the treaty, 
hail ceased to press the proposition, and sub- 



stituted for it the plan of granting tribal anil 
individual reservations within the tract to be 
ceded. These circumstances had wrought such 
a favorable change in the feelings of the chiefs 
that the parties had little difficulty in agreeing 
on the terms of a treaty, which was virtually 
concluded at this sitting; all that remained to 
be done being to engross it in due form and 
to affix to it the signatures of the commis- 
sioner, the chiefs and the witnesses. 

On the following day (September 24th), the 
third ;nid last session of the council was held, 
and the treaty was formally signed. The 
Indian attendance was much larger at this than 
either of the ])re\ious councils, being estimated 
at nearly two thousand chiefs and warriors; 
while a still greater number of women and chil- 
dren were crowded together on the outskirts 
of the assemblage. The ceremony of signing 
the treat)- was made as imiKising as possible, 
'fhe first name w ritten upon the document was, 
of course, that of Lewis Cass, United States 
Indian Commissioner, and ibis was followed 
by the totems of one hun<lred and fourteen 
Chippewa and Ottawa chiefs. Old Ki.shkawko 
had finally come out of his prolonged trance and 
was present — somewhat sullen, but ven,' quiet 
and dignified — and affi.xed his mark to the 
treaty with those of the other chiefs. The 
execution of the treaty was witnessed by .\ct- 
ing Commissioner R. A. Fonsythe ; the gov- 
ernor's secretaries. Leib and \\nutney : Capts, 
Cass and Root and Lieut. Peacock ; Gabriel God- 
frey, sub-agent, the interpreters Knaggs. Beau- 
fait. Hurson and Tuckey ; John Hill, amiy con- 
tractor Henry I. Hunt. Barney Campau, Wil- 
liam Keith, \'. S. Kyley, J- Whipple, A. E. 
Lacock, John Smyth, B. Head, Richard Sm>-th, 
Louis Dcquindre, and Ctinrad Ten Eyck. 

.\fter the signing a large table was spread 
before the commissioners, and on this table were 
placed great piles of silver half-dollars, which 
under the direction of Gen, Cass, were to ]ye 
paid out to the representatives of the several 
bands. Tliis part of the ceremony was watched 
with great interest by Iwth chiefs and traders, 
but for somewhat different reasons. Many of 
the chiefs were indebted in considerable sums 



454 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



to the trader Louis Campau, who had received 
their promise that w hen the payment was made 
to tliem tlieir claim should Ije liquidated at least 
to the amount of fifteen hundred dollars. He 
had already notified Gen. Cass of this agree- 
ment, and was now anxiously waiting, hoping 
to receive the money from the commissioner 
without having it pass through Indian hands 
at all. But three of the other traders present 
were not pleased at the prospect of having so 
considerable a part of the Indians' money ap- 
propriated to the payment of their old debts. 
One of these three was Jacob Smith, who at 
once set about the task of persuading the wily 
and treacherous Kishkawko and some of the 
other chiefs to demand that the entire sum due 
them should be paid to the Indians, to be ap- 
plied by them as they saw fit. This diplomacy 
was so entirely successful that when the com- 
missioner explained to the chiefs that Campau 
was expecting to receive his dues, and asked if 
the\' consented to the arrangement, they replied 
that they were his children, under his protec- 
tion, and expected that he would pay the money 
into their hands. The general could not dis- 
regard their expressed wishes in this particu- 
lar, and he therefore directed that the money 
be paid to them, which was accordingly done 
by the secretaries, much to the disgust of Cam- 
pau, who, seeing that his money was lost, and 
believing Smith to be the cause of his discom- 
fiture, leaped from the platform where he had 
been standing, and struck the latter two stun- 
ning blows in the face. Quick as lightning 
Smith turned on his assailant, but Henry Con- 
nor and Louis Beaufait interposed between the 
belligerents and stopped the fight. 

After the payments had l)een made. Gen. 
Cass ordered five barrels of government whiskey 
to be opened, and the liquor to be dealt out to 
the Indians. UiX)n seeing this, Campau, still 
fillerl with wrath at the treatment he had re- 
ceived, and blaming the general almost as much 
as Smith for it, ordered up ten barrels of his 
own whiskey, knocked in the heads, and posted 
two men with dijipers to supply the Indians as 
thev came u]). Of course the scene of intoxi- 
cation was indescribable. At aliout ten o'clock. 



the governor having become thoroughly 
alarmed at the infernal orgies that surrounded 
the trading-house in which he was quartered, 
sent his private secretary, Forsyth, with orders 
to Campau to shut off the supply of liquor; but 
the trader only deigned the grim replv "Gen. 
Cass commenced it himself." Then a platoon 
of Capt. Cass' company was detailed to guard 
the store-house. Soon after they had been 
posted a new arrival of Indians demanded 
whiskey, and \\[Km being refused and held at 
bay, rushed on the guard to force an entrance, 
diu'ing which attempt one of them received a 
])ayonet wound in the leg. In an instant the 
war-whoop was sounded, and in a few minutes 
more swarms of savages, infuriated with liquor, 
and tomahawk in hand came rushing towards 
the store. "Stop the liquor, Louis!" screamed 
the governor of Michigan Territorj^, as he 
stood in the door of his quarters with a night- 
cap on his head. "We shall all be murdered; 
Stop the liquor, I say!" "Certainment, mon 
general," replied Campau, "but you begun it 
and you allowed Smith to rob me. I'll keep 
\'ou safe, but remember you commenced it, 
mon general." He appeared to think that the 
satisfaction of thoroughly frightening Gen. 
Cass for having allowed Jacob Smith to rob 
him, as he said, was cheaply enough purchased 
by the expenditure of ten barrels of whiskey. 
"I lost my whiskey and my money," he after- 
wards remarked. "But I had good revenge on 
Cass." 

By the combined efforts of the interpreters 
and traders, the Indians were at length pacified, 
and they retired to their wigAvams to sleep off 
the effects of their intoxication. After they 
had entirely recovered from their debauch they 
became perfectly friendly and tractable, and 
even after the commissioner and his staff of 
assistants had departed for Detroit, they sent 
the orator in chief, Washmenondequet, to over- 
take him, and express to him their pleasure and 
satisfaction at the result of the council. 

By the terms of this treaty, the Indians ceded 
to the United States an area of territory esti- 
mated at about six millions of acres; in con- 
sideration of which cession, the government 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



4SS 



agreed tu pay to the Cliippewa nation annually, 
forever, the sum of one thousand dollars, in 
silver coin, and also, that all annuities to he 
paid to them in pursuance of the stipulations of 
previous treaties should thereafter he paid in 
siher. The terms of the treaty of Greenville 
( in 1793) giving the Indians the right to hunt 
and tish at will upon the ceded lands, so long as 
they remained the pro])erty of the L'nited 
States, were apijlied to this treaty. Tiic}- were 
also to be pennitted to make sugar wherever 
they chose upon the same lands and during the 
same period, but without any unnecessary waste 
of trees. The boundaries of the cession, as de- 
scribed in the treaty, were as follows : "Begin- 
ning at a point in the present Indian Ixiundary 
line ( identical with the principal meridian of 
the state) which runs due north from the 
mouth of the great Auglaize river, six miles 
south of the place where the base line, so-called, 
intersects the same ; thence west sixty miles ; 
thence in a direct line to the head of Thunder 
Bay ri\er: thence down the same, following the 
courses thereof, to the mouth ; thence northeast 
to the lx^undary line between the United States 
and the British province of Upper Canada; 
thence with the same to a line established by 
the treaty of Detroit in 1807; and thence with 
said line to the place of beginning." 

After various sul)sequent treaties in which 
the once powerful Chippewas agreed to remove 
from Michigan, a time was finally settled upon 
when the Saginaw Chippewas were to leave the 
lower peninsula of Michigan to their pale-faced 
brothers. That time was January, 1842. Be- 
fore the time arrived, the ravages of small-pox 
had practicallx' exterminated the nation, and the 
disheartened remnant of a once proud people 
I)ecame scattered and lost to history as a tribe. 
The Pottawattamies were in 1838 under the 
orders of the government, forcibly sent to the 
west, escorted by United States troops, and the 
wholesale deputation being practically completed 
two years later when Chief Muckemoot, with a 
few of his |)eople was captured b}' General 
Brady, collected at Chvosso, and started in a 
melancholy procession for the hunting grounds 
beyond the Mississippi. 
29 



Till': INDIAN IKAII.S .WD E.VRLV ROADS. 

Snmctliing has been saiil of the demoralized 
condition of Michigan affairs after the British- 
American war of i8r2. Indian warfare and 
I'.ritish iiccupation had wrought desolation 
llinnigiidut Michigan settlements. For a time 
the improvident Indian allies of the British had 
dniwn u])()n the store-houses of the king, but 
.iftcr his armies had suffered defeat, this source 
of succor and supply was closed, and the In- 
dians themselves knocked at the doors of con- 
gress for assistance. Under the Cass adminis- 
tration of Michigan affairs, conditions steadily 
improved, until 1818, when the industrial in- 
terests of the territoiy began to show signs of 
responding to the efforts of her statesman. 
From thence the athance was vigorous and the 
future full of golden promise. The one great 
necessity was a jxipulation sufficient to open 
the interior and develop its resources. High- 
ways were needed through the wilderness along 
which the home-seekers from New York and 
New England could pass to the fertile lands of 
the west. Cass never wavering in his devotion 
to Michigan, urged the building of roads Ijy 
acts of congress, as internal im]irovements, and 
appropriations were accordingly made for such 
purposes. 

When the pioneer, wending his way through 
forests, over rivers, around swamps and 
morasses, finally reached the s])ot lie had se- 
lected for his home, he had made a trail for 
others to follow. In this manner settlements 
grew and more or less defined routes of travel 
were established. Often the well-worn Indian 
trails were utilized by settlers, as these routes 
were usually favorably chosen. When the set- 
tler, or a band of settlers, opened through the 
wilderness of forests a wagon road, discovered 
and marked routes, avoiding marshes and 
swamjjs, constructed rude bridges across creeks, 
laid causeways across the lowlands, cleared 
rivers at fording places, they began the great 
work of internal improvement which has been 
.so instrumental in developing the country of 
the Great Lakes. 

The first highways were the Indian trails. 



456 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



winding thro' forests, connecting \illages and 
trading-pusts. and crossing each other, so as 
to form a net-work of irregular sinuons jjaths 
ramifying in every (Hrection through the in- 
terior. But a few of tlie more important of 
tliese will l)e menti(jned. The Saginaw and 
Grand River trail came from the Saginaw coun- 
try to the great liend in the Maple river in Gra- 
tiot county and from there followed the course 
of the Maple through Clinton and terminated at 
the Gensereau trading-j^ost on the Grand river 
in Ionia county. The Grand River trail fol- 
lowed the north side f)f the Looking Glass river 
from its junction with the Grand in Ionia, 
through southern Clinton, through DeWitt 
\illage to Laingshurg. and continued from there 
through IncHan villages in Shiawassee, Genesee 
and Oakland, ultimately connecting Clinton 
county with Pontiac and Detroit. Another 
trail led through central Clinton from Maple 
Rapids to the present site of DeWitt village, 
then Scott's tavern, crossing the Grand River 
trail and the Looking Glass, and was lost in 
Insfham countv. There were manv other 
trails and paths by which Indians, prospectors, 
settlers and traders traveled through various 
parts of the county, and many of the older 
residents of the county recollect their existence 
and use. Tt is true that these trails were ex- 
tensively used by settlers as roads to and from 
their settlements. 

It is said that when Richard Godfrey came 
from Oakland county in 1828. by way of 
southern Genesee to Shiawassee, to open a trad- 
ing post, the wagon which carried his merchan- 
dise was die first to enter the interior of the 
Shiawassee-Clinton tract. In 1833 a wagon 
road was opened from Kopenicorning, an In- 
dian village of the Fisher Tribe of the Saginaw 
Chippewas, located in northwe.stern part of 
Oakland county, to the Williams trailing post 
in Shiawassee, through the southern part of 
Genesee. This task was undertaken by Alfred 
L. and Benjamin O. Williams, the founders of 
the Williams trading post, with the assistance of 
settlers along the line. The "Pontiac and 
Grand River road" was one of the most promi- 
nent of these i)rimitive highways. This route 



lav from Pontiac to Ionia and crossed Clinton 
countv from its eastern to western line. Its 
course ran as follows: From Pontiac west- 
ward in Oakland, to "Hillman's Tavern" in 
Tyrone township of Livingston, thence through 
Shiawassee, striking Byron. Biu"ns, Fremont. 
IIartweli\ille and Laingshurg: into Clinton 
through DeWitt and Wacousta. terminating by 
way of Portland, in Lyons, county of Ionia. 
.\mong the earliest tra\elers over this road 
were the pioneers who were brought In- Judge 
.Samuel W. Dexter from Xew York to colonize 
the Dexter tract in Ionia county. This party 
consisted of si.xty-three persons who passed into 
the Clinton interior in May of 1833. This 
company of pioneers was a typical settlers' 
colon V. who experienced severe hardships in 
reaching the end of their voyage. They traveled 
by wagons, carrying jjersonal property, swine, 
cows, and o.xen with them to aid in founding' 
new homes. These people had difficulty in se- 
curing die .services of a guide ac(|uainted with 
liesetting conditions. Benjamin O. Williams, 
the .Shiawassee trader, gives the following ac- 
count of the journey through Clinton, which 
\ery \i\idly suggests what die primitive con- 
ditions of the countiy were in 1833: 

"Having in vain tried to get Beaubien to 
])ilot them, Messrs. Dexter. Yeomans and 
Winan came to us for help. I left our planting, 
taking my blankets and a small tent, and in six 
days landed them at Ionia, looking out the route 
and directing them where the road was to lae. 
This was the first real colonizing party we had 
ever seen — myself having never been fardier 
than ( the Indian village of) DeWitt. I then 
induced Mackatapenace (Blackbird), son of 
Kishkawko. the usurping chief of the Saginaws, 
to pilot us past Muskrat creek, and from there 
jiroceeded with the party. .\t that point, a son 
of Mr. and Mrs. Dexter, a child about two 
vears old, died of scarlet fever. We buried the 
child by torch and candle-light in a Iotx im- 
provised by tlie party. The road we opened 
was next year followed by others, and was sub- 
stantially the present Grand River road tiirough 
Shiawassee and Clinton counties and was 
traveled for many years after." 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



457 



Subsequent writers have, in commenting^ 
upon the alio\e account of the route travelefl 
by the Dexter colony, shown tliat westward 
from De\\'itt. tlie road followed was not 
identical with the Pontiac and Grand River 
road, but that from DeW'itt village, they 
traveled in :i northwestern direction through 
wiiat are now Riley, Bengal and Dallas town- 
ships. The infant child of Judge Dexter was 
buried ui)on the farm of Judge Cortland Hill 
in section numl)er thirty-one of Bengal. The 
old trail fmiu DeW'itt village in Clinton, to 
Lyons in Iinii.i. was for years thereafter, known 
as the "Dexter Trail." 

This brief narrative will serve to illustrate 
by what means and under what circumstances 
internal improvements liegan tn he instituted, 
and what rapid strides have actually been made 
to the present from such meagre and di.-icour- 
aging beginnings. 

However, the Pontiac and (Irand Ri\er route 
was not opened through Clinton until July, 
1834. The state of Michigan took a hand in 
it in 1844 when an act was passed by the 
legislature providing for the establishment and 
improvement of the Pontiac and Grand River 
route along the line hereinl>efore descrilx?d. In 
subsequent years additional and amendatory 
steps were taken by the state, and provision 
made for funds to be used in making the route 
p.'issable throughout. This road, as finally es- 
tablished, has remained an imixjrtant thorough- 
fare through .southern Clinton to the present. 

As a matter of passing interest, it may be 
well to refer to the "Grand River Turnpike" 
in this connection. While Michigan was a ter- 
ritory in 1 83 J. congress passed an act provid- 
ing for the survey and opening of a road from 
Detroit through Shiawassee (now Livingston) 
county, to the mniuh of the Grand river. The 
act was justified as having for one of its ob- 
jects the establishment of a military road. In 
the years 1833 and 1834 $2,500.00 was used 
in extending this road ten miles from Detroit; 
in 1835 congress appro]>riated $25,000.00 in 
opening the road, building bridges across rivers, 
including the south branch of the Shiawassee 
and the Cedar river. In 1841. the State of 



Michigan took uj) the task for itself and begnn 
by ai)j)ropriating funds for this purjiose. .\fter 
a considerable exiienditure, the Grand River 
turnpike was finally opened to travel. For 
some time it served as a commercial highway 
from the inland .sections of Clinton county to 
the eastern markets of Pontiac and Detroit, de- 
clining in usefulness when the railroads found 
their way to the interior. This route first 
strikes Clinton at a point in .southeast Water- 
town and continues in a northwestern direction 
through Watertown and Eagle townships. 

The first legislature of the state (session of 
'^35"6) enacted several measures providing for 
the opening of routes from Pontiac in Oakland, 
westward. .\ perusal of these acts will readily 
di.sclose why the state fathers provided for state 
roads with such facility, as the majority of 
these acts contained clauses, in substance as 
follows: "In laying out and establishing the 
roads, or any of the roads named, the state 
shall not be lialjle for the exjienses or damages 
incurred thereby." 

THK .ST.VTE OF MICIIKI.XX PL.VXS HIGHVV.WS. 

.\mong these projected highways was "A 
state road from Pontiac. in the countv of Oak- 
land. <in tile most direct and eligible route, to 
tile \illagc <if Brooklyn in the count\- of Qin- 
ton. and thence to the .>^eat of justice in said 
county." .\notber was t(3 run from Pontiac to 
the county seat of Ionia county, through Clin- 
t<in : a third route lay from Pontiac to the mouth 
of the Looking Gla.ss, with a terminus at De- 
Witt village in Clinton. Tliese pro])osed routes 
left nothing to be wished by Clinton by way of 
highway connections with Pontiac. As these 
mutes were .suggested to the legislature by the 
petitions of the settlers, themselves, it may Ije 
safely inferred that Clinton county trade was 
largely with Pontiac and Detroit. 

The second legislature of 1837. supplemented 
the enterprise of the first in the road-making 
line, by providing for laying out and establish- 
ing no less than six different state roads cross- 
ing Clinton and Shiawassee counties. 

It will be seen from this brief survev. that 



458 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



the first of the so-called "internal improve- 
ments," in the Clinton country, were instituted 
by the first settlers themselves, under the spur 
of a great necessity ; that these early enterprises 
were undertaken for private and personal ob- 
jects. That later, while Michigan administra- 
tion was directly managed by the Washington 
government, according to acts of congress, the 
work of opening the interior of Clinton was 
undertaken by the national government as a 
matter of public enterprise, and that appropria- 
tions were made by congress and funds raised 
by various methods for carrj'ing on these public 
works. That this undertaking met with varied 
degrees of success, in general the results being 
of doubtful value, and in the majority of cases, 
die work was incomplete and left unfinished. 
While the state of Michigan was in its in- 
fancy, the "internal improvement" policy 
gained a remarkably strong foothold in Michi- 
gan's administration, and the legislature in its 
zeal often went to almost ludicrous extremes in 
that direction. State highways were surveyed 
on the statute books, plank-roads planned and 
corporations provided for; the small and in- 
significant streams and water-courses were in- 
nocent objects of extensive navigation projects. 
Out of the mass of legislative enactment along 
this line, very little e\-er materialized, but the 
force lay in the idea which was prevalent and in 
later years worked itself out in more practical 
plans, and beneficial results were in the end 
acliieved. Among these was a road from the 
county seat of E<'iton, to Cushway's trading 
post on the Maple river, Isefore referred to; 
another was to connect DeWitt village in Clin- 
ton, to PeShimnecon in Ionia. 

In 1838 tlie establishment of a state road 
was authorized from Rochester colony in Clin- 
ton to the Ionia county seat; and in 1839 
another was provided for to connect Owosso 
village in Shiawassee with Rochester colony in 
Clinton. After this, plank- road and railroad 
corporations held the attention of the state 
fathers. However, the establishment of the 
state capital at Lansing in 1847 was followed 
by more road legislation. In 1848 six thousand 
acres of state lands were appropriated for "in- 



ternal improvement" purposes, to be carried out 
in Clinton count\-. Three thousand acres were 
devoted to the laying out of a road from the 
village of DeWitt to the village of Mapleton in 
Duplain township; one thousand acres for im- 
proving the road beyond Mapleton to section 
twenty-five in Essex township, and from there 
the route extending to the center of Greenbush ; 
the two thousand remaining acres for laying 
out and improving a road from DeWitt village 
to Lyons in Ionia, via the German settlement 
in Westphalia. 

Among the many roads "laid out" by the 
legislatures of a later day, is the State road 
known as the "Port Huron, Bay City and Clin- 
ton." The Clinton section of this highway 
often designated as the "St. Johns and Gratiot" 
road was built in 1859- 1860 by Christopher 
Darling, of Lansing. 

After state highways as objects of 
special legislation had gone out of date, com- 
panies organized for the purpose of building 
and maintaining plank-roads began to flourish. 
As with the state roads before mentioned, the 
fa\ore(l terminal for the plank road 
routes first planned, was Pontiac in Oak- 
land county. The "Pontiac and Corunna 
Plank Road Company" was authorized in 
1847; f^h^ "Portland and Shiawassee Plank 
Road Company" was authorized at the same 
time, the two roads as planned being designed 
to effect a road from Portland in Ionia to 
Pontiac in Oakland. 

Before the general act providing for and 
regulating plank-road companies was passed, 
the Clinton and Bad River Plank-Road Com- 
pany, with a route from DeWitt village to 
Saginaw was incorporated ; the Michigan and 
DeWitt Plank-Road Company came to life in 
1848. But no plank roads were built in Clin- 
ton county. 

As the population of the county increased, 
and clearings were made, and when the civil 
organization of the county into townships was 
more generally perfected, the building and 
maintaining of highways became matters of 
kical concern. Gradually, year by year, Qin- 
ton's highways have been improved at an enor- 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



459 



mous aggregate expense. Bridges are now 
found wherever needed, and at intervals con- 
venient to the traveller: our roads are now 
generally "tumpiked" and graveled through- 
out. It was because of the excellent condition 
of Clinton's highways and principal thorough- 
fares that the postoffice department gave to our 
rural districts the benefits of the "Rural Free 
I)eli\ery" system as early in the course of its 
establishment, as will lie mentioned hereafter. 
.\utomobiles. finelv appointed vehicles, liicycles. 
and c\ery manner and method of rural locomo- 
tion now use these highways. The Indian trail 
and rude highway, fit only for pack-horses and 
ox-carts, are things of long ago. 

OTHER INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS. 

Michigan's appropriations for "internal im- 
provements" in its early histoiy also extended 
to plans for making navigable the interior rivers 
of the state, and the Maple river (if it may be 
called such now) came in for a share of legis- 
lati\e attention. What particular prospects the 
Originators of the scheme thought they saw in 
this enteqirise is to the present resident of this 
locality, difficult to conjecture. The 'facts re- 
main, however, that under an act of 1837 ^'i*^ 
sum of $20,000.00 was approjjriated from the 
internal improvement fund for the puipose, in 
part, of making a survey of a canal route to 
unite the Saginaw river with the Maple or 
Grand, the same act also appropriating $15,- 
000.00 fi*om the same fund to be used in aitting 
a canal from the Saginaw to the Maple or 
Grand, as the board of commissioners should 
chose, provided such a canal was by them 
found practicable. Tracy McCracken, chief 
engineer of the Saginaw and Maple River canal, 
made a sur\ey of a proposed canal route from 
the forks of the Bad river. Saginaw county, 
westward to the Maple at the "Big Bend." in 
Gratiot. The pretentious design was to open 
a line of water navigation by means of the 
Saginaw. Maple and Grand rivers, from Sagi- 
naw bay to Lake Michigan. Work was actually 
liegun in 1838. portions of the route Ijeing 
cleared and excavations commenced. But the 



state of Michigan was tardy in supplying funds 
tn contractors, and finally the work was 
abandoned in the month of July, 1839. Within 
recent years, the timbers prepared for use in 
excavation by contractors, lieing intended by 
the chief engineer for locks and dams, part of 
it being framed and mortised, could be seen de- 
caying upon the ground where the engineer had 
left them more tlian sixty years ago. This ex- 
periment cost the state treasury the total sum of 
$22,256.81. In 1849 hopes for a canal were re- 
\ived by the incor|)oration of a company for 
the purposes of building and operating a canal 
along the line of the abandoned route, but 
nothing ever materialized. In 1885 a survey 
was made by George Davis along the Maple 
river, in the Clinton county section of the same. 
The object was to shorten the channel of the 
river. The contract was awarded to Ezra D. 
Shrene. of Ohio, for $16,700.00 with the 
swamp land grant of 6,400 acres, valued at 
$5,000.00. Looking Glass river was also con- 
sidered as a possible canal route, and a plan 
was outlined for a canal from DeWitt to Wa- 
cousta. l)ut tliis proved but a dream. By build- 
ing a dam at Maple Rapids, small steamlxiats 
were enabled to plow the waters of the timid 
Maple, the "May Queen" making trips from 
.Maple Rapids to Bridgeville in Gratiot as late 
as in 1880. This is as near as Clinton county 
ever came to having water navigation within 
its borders. excei)ting ])erhaps that the laborious 
plodding of Dr. Henry Palmer's drain dredge 
up these artificial waterways may lie called 
water-navigation. 

.MICIIIC.AX RAILROAD SCHEMES. 

Connected in some instances with these water 
navigation and canal schemes, and in others 
independent of them, were projects for the 
construction of state railroads, launched by the 
state legislature according to the general act 
of March 20, 1837. providing for the "con- 
struction of certain works of internal improve- 
ment and for other purixises." Bv Act No. 
97 of the Public Acts of 1837. a board of 
commissioners of internal improvements was 



46o 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



created, the same to consist of seven members, 
including the governor, he being a member 
ex officio, and president thereof. The remain- 
ing six members were to be appointed by the 
o-overnor with the advice and consent of the 
legislature. This board, by the act of March 
20, 1837. was authorized to construct several 
railroads across the ])eninsula of Michigan. Of 
the three railroads provided for in this act. 
the "Northern"' concerns us in this narrative. 
This railroad, as surveyed and located, was to 
run from the St. Clair river through Lapeer 
and the present site of the city of Flint, west- 
ward to the Big Rapids of the Shiawassee. 
Ijeing the present site of the city of Owosso, 
through Owosso and Middlebur>' townships in 
Shiawassee county, and from thence in a west- 
wardly direction, traversing what are now the 
townships of Ovid, Bingham, Bengal and Dal- 
las, in Clinton, said route running through the 
.southern portion of the present city of St. 
Johns, and from thence to the mouth f)f the 
Grand river on Lake Michigan. The length 
of this propo.sed railroad was alxiut two hun- 
dred miles. This sur\'ey was made by engineer 
Tracv McCracken before mentioned in connec- 
tion with the Saginaw-Maple River canal. In 
1838 contractors began the work of clearing 
the route, and within a year from the time of 
beginning, this \vas completed from Lyons to 
Port Huron, excepting twenty miles. In 1839 
grading was begun and continued for nearly 
.seven months. The total appropriations made 
in behalf of the Northern Railroad was $15,- 
000.00. Of this sum $60,120.78 was expendetl 
in the operations of 1837, 1838 and 1839, when 
the route was abandoned because of the dif- 
ficulties the contractors suffered because of low 
bids and delay of the state treasury to pay cash 
promptly as the work advanced. The legis- 
lature in an effort to make the most of the 
situation, later made an appropriation for the 
construction of the Northern wagon road, which 
was never of any material benefit to the country 
it was designed to aid. Thus closed the history 
of the Northern Railroad. 

The first railroad enterprise which finally re- 
sulted in a real railroad throuHi Clinton, was 



the one which lead to the construction of the 
Detroit, Grand Haven and Milwaukee Railway 
Company's route through Clinton, which re- 
mains to this day the principal passenger and 
freight tlioroughfare through the count)-. The 
Detroit. Grand Haven and Milwaukee Railway 
is now a part of the Grand Trunk Railway 
system. The story of the beginnings of this 
railroad is interesting, and in the main ac- 
curately told in the History of Clinton and 
Shiawassee Counties, published in [880. That 
narrative is as follows: 

THE DETROIT. GR.\ND HAVEN & MILW.\UKEE 
R.MLW.W. 

"'riie line now known as the Detroit, Grand 
Ila\en and Milwaukee Railway was the first 
which was built and completed to any point 
within the boundaries of Shiawassee and Clin- 
ton: and it was also over the eastern link of 
this line (the old Detroit and Pontiac road, 
which was in oi)eration manv years before the 
loconiotix'e reached the waters of the Shia- 
wassee ri\er) that the inhabitants of these 
counties enjoyed their earliest railway facilities, 
by means of stage lines which ran from Lyons 
by way of DeW'itt. Laingsburg, and other 
points in Shiawassee. Genesee, and Oakland 
counties, eastward, to the successive temiini of 
the railroad. — first at Royal Oak. then at Bir- 
mingham and finallv at Pontiac. I"or this rea- 
son, it seems jiroper to make brief mention here 
of the building and opening of the Pontiac 
road, for thougii it was purely an Oakland 
county enterprise, yet it was one in which the 
]:)eople of Shiawassee and Clinton were inter- 
e.sted, — first, because its connecting stage lines 
gave them communication over it, and after- 
wards becau.se of its e.xtension, it became a part 
of the grand through line which passes through 
these counties to Grand Haven and Milwaukee. 

The Detroit and Pontiac railroad project 
was agitated in Oakland as early as the spring 
of 1830, and an act incorporating the "Pontiac 
and Detroit Railway Company" was passed by 
the legislative council of the territor\- and ap- 
|)ro\ed b\' Governor Cass fin llic 31st of Jidy 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



461 



in the year named, tliis heintj tlie first railway 
ever chartered in Michigan. The coqxirators 
were Jolm P. Helfenstein. Gideon O. Whitte- 
more. W'ilhani 1'. Mosely. William Thomjison, 
Herxey Park, "and such other persons as siiall 
associate for tlic purjiose of making a good an<i 
sufficient railway from Pontiac to the city of 
Detroit," the stock of the company to consist 
of one thousand shares at one hundred dollars 
each. This company, however, found the pro- 
ject to he too heavy for the means which the\' 
could command and their charter hecame void 
hv reason of their failure to com]il\' with its 
conditions. 

A .second com])any was formed, and an act 
granting a new charter was jiassed hy the ter- 
ritorial legislature, and approved hy the gov- 
ernor. March 7, 1834. Under this act William 
Draper. Daniel LeRoy. David Standard. John- 
son Xiles. Seneca Xewl)erry, Elisha Beach, 
lienj. I'helps, Josej)!! Xiles, Jr.. and .\ugustus 
C. Stejihens, were appointed commissioners to 
receive suh.scri])tions to the stock of "The De- 
troit and Pontiac Railroad Company." the 
amount of which was fixed at fifty thousand 
<lollars. The work was to he commenced within 
two years from the passage of the act, and com- 
pleted within six years, the charter to he for- 
feited hy failure to coniply with these condi- 
tions. The princijial stockholders were Alfred 
Williams and Sherman Stevens, of Pontiac. who 
were also managers of the affairs of the com- 
pany. O])erations were soon commenced, hut 
verv slow progress was made in the c< instruc- 
tion of the road, and it was not until the fall 
of 1S38 that a track (which even then was 
comjiosed of wooded rails for a part of the 
distance) was completed as far as Royal Oak, 
and trains made U]) of cars of the most in- 
ferior ilescription. were run from Detroit to 
that point hy horse-piwer. In the fall of 1839 
the road was extended so that the trains ran 
to Birmingham, and steam was introduced as 
a moti\e-i)ower for their ])ropulsion. .\t that 
time. ( Septemher, 1839) the Pontiac papers 
contained the advertisement of Henry J. 
Ihickley, agent and conductor, inforiuing the 
puhlic that the trains were then running two 



trips a day hetween Detroit and Birmingham, 
and making connection at the latter place with 
a daily line of "post-coaches" for Pontiac and 
I'lint, and a semi-weekly line for Lyons, on the 
(Irand river, hy way of Byron, DeWitt and 
other ])oints in Shiawassee and Clinton counties. 

In 1S40, the company heing heavily in deht 
;inil without means of payment, the road was 
sold at sheriff's sale and pas.sed into the hands 
of Dean Richmond of Buffalo, and other capi- 
talists of the state of Xew "N'ork. Then fol- 
lowed another period of delay and discourage- 
ment, hut finally, in Septemher. 1844, the road 
was opened to Pontiac. which for more than 
ten years continued tf) he the western terminus, 
and the point of connection with the stage- 
lines running to Mint, Saginaw and the (irand 
ri\ er. 

In the earlier years of its oi:)eration. this road 
was made the suhject of unmeasured ridicule, 
on account of the poverty of the c(jmpany, the 
rough and sujjerficial manner in which the line 
was constructed, the poor (|uality of its car- 
riages and machinery, and the exceedingly slow 
and irregular time made hy the trains between 
Pontiac and Detroit. From an article which 
a])|)eared in the "Detroit Post" a few years 
since, containing some reminiscences of pioneer 
railway travel, the following — having refer- 
ence to the Pontiac line — is extracted : "The 
trains wmild frequently stop l)etween way sta- 
tions at a signal from .some farmer who wished 
to ask a few (juestions, or to take passage. An 
old lady, denizen of a farm house, with spec- 
tacles of a primitive manufacture ])laced high 
upon her forehead, came running out to the 
train, waving her handanna. Her signal l)eing 
needed, the train was brought to a stop and her 
intjuiry of the conductor was if a certain lawyer 
named Drake was on l)oard, .\fter receiving 
a negative answer a short conversation was kept 
up l)efore the train started on its journey. It 
was no uncommon occurrence for the engineer, 
who kei)t his shotgun with him. to bring down 
g:mie from his engine, shut off the steam, and 
.send his fireman after the fruits of his mark- 
manship. The road being laid with strap-raiT. 
one of the duties of the conductor was to keep 



46:; 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



a hammer tor the purpose of spiking down 
'snake-heads' \vhere\cr thej' were seen from 
the cal5 of the engineer." An old resident of 
Shiawassee county has said to the writer that 
he recognizes this as a truthful description of 
the operation of the Pontiac road in the year 
1 84 1 and there are. no doubt, many others 
who have similar recollections of their travel 
upon it at a]")out the same period. 

After a few years of operation with the 
primitive unsafe "strap-rail" the line was leased 
for ten \-ears to Gurdon Williams, but the lease 
was purchased or relinquished before its ex- 
piration, and the road came into the possession 
of a company, of which H. N. Walker, Esq., 
was made the president. Under his adminis- 
tration a sufficient amount of money was raised 
on the bonds of the road to relay the track 
with solid "T" rails and to make other improve- 
ments necessary to put the road in condition 
for business. 

Immediately after the completion of the 
road from Detroit to Pontiac. a project was 
formed to build a railroad from that village 
westward through Shiawassee, Clinton and 
other counties to I^ake Michigan at the mouth 
of the Grand river, to connect at that point 
with steamers for Milwaukee and other lake 
ports. This resulted in the formation of the 
"Oakland and Ottawa Railroad Company" and 
its incorporation by act of legislature approved 
April 3. 1848. The persons appointed as com- 
missioners to receive subscriptions to the capital 
stock (which was fixed at two million five hun- 
dred thousand dollars) were Gurdon Williams, 
Edward A. Brush, H. C. Thurber. Alfred Wil- 
liams, Bowman W. Dennis, John Hamilton, C. 
P. Bush, W. A. Richmond and Charles Shep- 
ard. The compan\^ was empowered by the act 
"to construct a railroad with a double or single 
track from the village of Pontiac, in the county 
of Oakland, passing it through the most desir- 
able and eligible route, by way of Fentonville," 
and was required to liegin its construction 
within five years, and to complete it within 
fifteen years from the passage of the act. In 
1850 an act was passed (approved March 20th). 
providing "That the Detroit and Pontiac Rail- 



road Company be and they are hereby author- 
ized to extend said railway so as to connect with 
the Oakland and Ottawa Railroad when con- 
structed, thus forming a continuous line of rail- 
road through the village of Pontiac." 

The construction of the Oakland and Ottawa 
road was commenced in 1852, and in the fol- 
lowing year H. N. Walker (who was a lead- 
ing .spirit in this as well as in the Pontiac 
road) purchased in England twenty-six hun- 
dred tons of iron which was estimated to be 
sufficient to lay the track through to Fenton- 
ville. On the 13th of February, 1855. the 
go\ernor approved "An Act to authorize the 
consolidation of the Detroit and Pontiac, and 
the Oakland and Ottawa Railroad Companies, 
so as to form a continuous line from Detroit 
to Lake ]\Iichigan under the name of the De- 
troit and Milwaukee Railway Company." By 
this act the name of the Detroit and Pontiac 
was changed to that of "The Detroit and Mil- 
waukee Railway Company," which was em- 
powered to increase its capital stock to an 
amount not exceeding ten millions of dollars; 
and it was provided that "the said company is 
hereby authorized, for the purpose of forming 
a continuous line, to purchase all the proj^erty, 
rights and franchises of the Oakland and Ot- 
tawa Railroad Company upon such tenns as 
.shall be mutually agreed upon; and the stock- 
holders of the said Oakland and Ottawa Rail- 
road Company shall in case of sale, become 
stockholders of the said Detroit and Milwaukee 
Raih\ay Compmy, in such proportions as may 
be agreed ujxsn in the terms of sale; and the 
said Oakland and Ottawa Railroad Company 
shall thereupon become merged in said De- 
troit and Milwaukee Railway Company." 

Under the authority so conferred die two 
companies were consolidated, and the Oakland 
and Ottawa became the Detroit and ^Milwaukee 
line. The work of construction west of Pontiac 
had proceeded but slowly during the three years 
succeeding its commencement, but as the new 
company had negotiated a loan in Europe to 
the amount of one million two hundred and fifty 
thousand dollars, it was now pushed more 
vigorously, so that in October. 1855. the road 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



463 



was openetl to Fentonville. where stage connec- 
tions were made from Grand river, and for 
Flint and Saginaw. In the following spring 
the locomotive entered Shiawassee county for 
the first time, and on the ist of July, 1856. 
the road was formally opened to Owosso, where 
the arrival of the pioneer train was hailed with 
demonstrations of almost unhounded delight 
and exultation. The same enthusiasm greeted 
the opening of the road to St. Johns, on the i^ith 
of Januaiy following. Well might the people 
of Clinton and Shiawassee congratulate them- 
selves as they saw the first trains speeding west- 
ward, for their coming was an event which 
lifted the ban of isolation from these counties 
and more than douhled the value of their 
domain. 

Between St. Johns and Ionia the work was 
prosecuted \\ith vigor, and the road was com- 
pleted to the last naiued place in Septemlier, 
1857. Finally, on the 22(1 of November. 1858, 
the line was opened to its terminus at Grand 
Haven, and the locomotive traversed the whole 
peninsula froiu Detroit to Lake Michigan. 

The Detroit and Milwaukee road, though a 
very great benefit to Shiawassee and Clinton 
counties, proved a bad investment for its orig- 
inal stockholders. The foreclosure of the bond- 
holders' mortgage in 1860 placed the road in 
the hands of a receiver, and it remained in this 
condition until October 19. 1878, when it be- 
came the "Detroit. Grand Haven and Mil- 
waukee Railway." by passing into the posses- 
sion of a company of that name, organized in 
the interest of the Great Western Railway 
of Canada. It is still owned and controlled 
by that comixmy. 

The road enters Shiawassee in the township 
of Vernon, and passes thence northwestward 
into Caledonia. Then turning to a nearly due 
west course, it crosses the remainder of Shia- 
wassee county and all of Clinton county 
through the third tier of townships north of 
the .south line of the counties. 'Hie stations on 
the line within these counties are Vernon, 
Conuina and Owosso in Shiawassee, and Ovid, 
Shepardsvillc. St. Johns and Fowler, in 
Clinton." 



It will be noticed from the above account 
that the Detroit, Grand Ha\en and Milwaukee 
Railway route was completed to St. Johns in 
Clinton. January- r6, 1857. Many of the pio- 
neer residents of the county reached St. Johns 
from the eastern states by way of Detroit. One 
of them. George S. Corbit, of St. Johns, came 
to Clinton by this route in 1857. He states 
that the road at that time appeared to be nearly 
slashed through the forests. Because of the 
roughness of the roadl)ed, the coupling l)etween 
the locomotive and the train was kept loose, so 
that tlie \ariet}' of jolts received by the pas- 
senger while the train was in motion could 
scarcely be counted. The o])enings along the 
sides of the track were then full of stumps, so 
that the traveler in looking ahead in search 
of his destination, wondered how the engineer 
avoided those obstacles. The depot at St. Johns 
was at its present location, the building being 
made of slabs roughly joined. The train was 
met at St. Johns by a crude and cumbersome 
two-wheeled dray which had facilities for un- 
loading similar to the ordinary dump-cart. St. 
Johns at that time was the important distribut- 
ing center for a broad territory to the west 
and north, and the completion of the railroad, 
ho\ve\er crude in its facilities and equipment, 
was a great event in the progress of the countv. 
Clinton county is intersected by other railroads 
whose part in the development of the county is 
a minor one coni]3arati\ely. and they are men- 
tioned as a matter of historical interest. 

OTHER R.\ILRO,\D ENTERPRISES. 

The railroad which crosses the southwestern 
township of Eagle, and in its course towards 
the city of Lansing, curves northward across 
the Watertown Ixiundant- line, was once the 
Ionia and Lansing, which was consolidated 
with the Detroit and Howell, and Lansing, in 
1870. The Detroit. I^ansing and Northern 
Railroad Company finally l)ecame the owner of 
the entire route. The Ionia and I^nsing was 
opened for travel in 1869, about twelve years 
after the Detroit and Milwaukee was built to 
St. Johns. The village of Eagle in Eagle town- 



464 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



sliip is tlie principal station on tliis rente in 
Clinton count\^ The Detroit. Lansing and 
Xoitliern is now a part of the Pere Marqnette 
Railroad system whose mutes extend through- 
out Michisfan. 

The Michigan Central now operates a line 
of railroad through southeastern Clinton to the 
citv of Lansing, and from there southward to 
Jackson. Michigan, where connections are made 
with other branches of that great system and 
its main line. 

The .\mhoy. Lansing and Traverse Bay Rail- 
road Company was incorporated in 1S37. This 
company proposed to build a line of railroad 
from .-\mboy in Hillsdale county near the 
southern border of the state of Michigan, to 
Traverse Rav on Lake Michigan, certainly a 
gigantic undertaking. The line as first pro- 
posed. ])assetl through Lansing, directly north- 
west, but the cities of Owosso and Saginaw saw 
here an opportunity, bmught enough pressure 
U) l)ear to influence the promi^ters of the enter- 
])rise to Iniild the road through Owosso. in 
Shiawassee, to Saginaw. This railroad com- 
]iany was incorporated in the first instance with 
the idea of oljtaining the benefit of an extensive 
land grant for its construction. Congress had 
])assed an act in 1857 granting to the state of 
Michigan "even- alternate section of land 
designated by odd numljers. for six sections in 
width on each side of said roads." the roads 
referred to being several njutes proixjsed Ijy 
the act of congress in question, one of which 
was the line "from .Vmboy by Hillsdale and 
Lansing, and from (jrand Rapids to some point 
on or near Traverse Bay." Michigan gratefully 
acce])ted this grant in 1857. The running of 
the route through Shiawassee and Saginaw 
counties, neces.sarily excited some criticism, and 
efforts were made to deprixe the companv of 
its share of the land grant on the ground that 
such a circuitous route was not contemplated by 
the act of congress of 1837. Because of its 
crookedness, the road became known as the 
"Rams-horn Railroad." a name it is said was 
given to it 1)\' a Lansing newspaper. 

The road was ready for travel in Novem- 
ber of 1862. The Owosso Press, in its edition 



of January 10. 1863. contains the following 
item : "The rush over the Rams-horn road to 
Lansing this week has been like the rush to a 
newly discovered gold mine." The eastward 
turn of the road from Lansing seems to have 
been a fortunate one for it is now a very im- 
portant route. Like other railroads of its 
jieriod. its earnings were insufticient, so that its 
stockholders were compelled to see their 
pro]ierty in a recei\er's hands in 1864. For a 
time it was operated with the Detroit and Mil- 
waukee, which companv furnished the rolling 
stock and equipment. In 18^16 the franchises, 
equipment, and propertv were sold to the Jack- 
son. Lansing and Saginaw Railroad Company, 
which has subsequently become a branch of the 
Michigan Central as before stated. This road 
traxer.ses sections 35 and 36 of DeWitt, runs 
across Bath town.ship nearlv diagonally from 
section 31 in the southwestern corner, to sec- 
tion 3 on the northern tier, and from there 
traverses the southeastern corner of section 34. 
and crosses diagonallv sections 35 and 25 in 
\ ictor. and thence leaves Clinton on its wa\- tt> 
Owosso. The \illage of bath is its imi)ortant 
Clinton county station, and as will be seen, 
this railroacl has been an imi:)ortant factor in 
the development of the .southeastern portion of 
our count V. 

.\fter the completion of the Detroit. Grand 
Haven and Milwaukee, which gives to Clinton 
county an outlet east and west, the great need 
has been and now is a line of railroad extend- 
ing from Lansing, which has l)ecome. perhaps 
the most important railroad center in central 
Michigan northward through Clinton through 
tlie citv of St. Johns, into ( iratiot county to the 
city of Ithaca, or some other northern jwint. 
This question has been agitated for years, and 
\arious projects have been discussed for its ac- 
comi)lisbment. I'ntil the com])letion of the in- 
tenn^ban electric railway, which now operates 
between St. Johns and Lansing, through De- 
Witt \illage, the latter, although most favor- 
.ibK located, had no means of communication 
whatever and St. Johns was entirely without 
southern connections. The beautiful village 
of Maple Rapids in Essex townshij) is to this 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



465 



day devoid of railroads of any kin<l. steam or 
electric. 'I'liis fact, tlie lack of railway facili- 
ties, north aiul south, has heen and is the most 
unfortunate circumstance to lie noted in the 
procuress of the county. .At one time it was con- 
fidently expected by residents of that village 
that the line now known as the Toledo and Ann 
Arbor, which intersects northeastern Duplain 
and helps sustain the Ijeautiful and jjaigressivc 
village of Elsie, would be built through Ovid, 
but here again there was disapi>iintment. Tlie 
road mentioned was first launche<l as the 
Owos.so and Xorthwestem Railroad Company 
with its southern terminal at Owosso and its 
stopping place at 1-rankfort, Benzie county. 

The movement for a southern railroad con- 
nection t(H)k form as early as 1864. when the 
Jack.son and Lansing Railroad Company was 
organized. It was originally intended that this 
line would be built northward froiu Lansing, 
through Clinton, (jratiot and Isabella counties. 
.\s has been stated, the road mentioned, passed 
to the Jackson, Lansing and Saginaw Com- 
pany, and St. Johns" hopes vanished up the 
"Ram's-horn" (route). 

The ne.xt mo\e was the incoqxtration of the 
Lansing. St. Johns and Mackinac Railroad 
Company. This was principally a St. Johns 
eiUer])rise. and was org;inized in iSfMj for the 
purpose of building a line of railroad from 
Lansing through the villages of DeWitt. St. 
Johns. Ithaca and northward. Of this com- 
])an}'. K. M. Steel was ])resident. I. A. bancher. 
now of Mt. Pleasant, vice-president, Oliver L. 
Si)aulding. now of Washington. D. C secre- 
tary, and S. S. Walker, now of Old Mission, 
Grand Traverse county, was treasurer. Green- 
hush. Olive. DeWitt and Bingham townships 
bonded themselves and provideil the sum of 
$85.ooo.cxj to assist the enteqirise. The statute 
under which this was done was afterwards de- 
clared unconstitutional by the supreme court. 
and nothing was tlone towards constructing the 
road, beyond some preliminary sur\eys. 

Later the Lansing and St. Johns Railroad 
C(«npany came to light. The incorporation took 
place in 1S71. Those of Clinton county who 
had a liand in i)romoting this ciMiipany were 



Oliver L. Si)aulding. Alvah H. Walker, Henry 
.\I. Perrin, Porter K. Perrin. John Hicks, 
Charles Kipp. O. W. Munger. R."m. Steel, S. 
.S. Walker. Randol])h Strickland. M. Heaven- 
rich, (ieorge W. Emmons. Sixty thousand 
<Iollars was provided for by subscriptions to 
stock, but the dark days of 1873 in financial 
circles killed the enterprise, and Clinton county 
received no aid from that source. 

In the years 1SS4 and 1S83. the Lansing, 
.\lma. Mt. Pleasant and Xorthern Railway 
Companv held the attention of the ijeo]jle ui the 
count}', and seemed to foreshadow great events 
in Clinton's affairs. It was thought that in 
and through this project, Clinton was at last 
to succeed in obtaining a steam railroad north 
and south through the city (then village") of 
St. Johns. It will be noted that it was during 
this ])eriod that what is now the Toledo and 
.\nn Arbor line, which merely intersects the 
northeastern eilge of the county, was finally 
opened northward and iuan\- o])inions expres.sed 
as to the coiu])letc failure of the L.. A.. Mt. P. 
and X. to materialize, were due to the fact that 
some of its promoters became t(X) heaxily in- 
terested in the Toledo and .Ann .\rbor. The 
])roposition met with great encouragement from 
the time it became public, and meetings were 
held in St. Johns and elsewhere, and every- 
one was hopeful. So sure were the business 
men that the road would be built that real 
estate increased in \alue. and every line of busi- 
ness felt the exhilarating effect of the new 
hope. 

But after all the effort made in its Ijehalf. 
and in spite of the fact that the enterprise 
])romised to be a profitable one for its pro- 
moters, the railroad was never built, antl little 
done towards its construction Ijeyond a few sur- 
veys. The Clinton Republican, in its issue of 
January 22. 1885. has this to say alxiut the 
"new railroad." 

".\nything new alwut the railroad? is the 
(|uestion asked of us every day. X'o move has 
yet l)een made toward commencing work on 
this section of the Lansing, .\lnia and Mt. 
Pleasant railroad, and we wouldn't bet a nickle 
to a diiuc that the road will i)e Iniilt. The 



466 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



annual nieeting of the stockholders will be held 
at Alma. Feliruary 5. and it is probable that the 
fiat of life or death of the enterprise will then 
go forth." 

Mr. A. W. Wright, the Alma capitalist, was 
one of the prominent promoters of the new 
company, and R. M. Steel, of St. Johns, was 
also concerned. 

In the year 18S5, there was talk of a line 
of railroad from Chicago to Saginaw, which 
would take in Elsie, St. Johns and Westphalia 
in Clinton, but the matter ended here. 

THE LANSING AND SUBURBAN ELECTRIC 
RAILWAY. 

Barring paper lines of railroad and rumors, 
or perhaps the suspicion of a project hinted at 
by newspapers, this ended our steam railroad 
enterprises. The successful introduction of 
interurban lines in southern and eastern Michi- 
gan, together with the great necessity, prompted 
an agitation and movement for an electric road 
from Lansing to St. Johns, north and west to 
Maple Rapids, and from there into Gratiot 
county and to points north. Consequently, after 
much discussion, in .April, 1900, the Lansing. 
St. Johns and St. Louis Railway was launched. 
The estimated cost of building the line was fixed 
by the promoters at $1,500,000.00. It will be 
noted that this line was to take in Maple Rapids, 
the village which had been waiting so long. 
Public meetings were held; subscriptions 
pledged, and the people of the villages along the 
line of the propo.sed route became highly hope- 
ful and enthusiastic. The company originally 
incorporated was capitalized at $500,000.00. 
The constuiction contract was finally awarded 
to the Arnold Construction Company, of Chi- 
cago, and the work of opening the A\-ay began. 
On several occasions the situation became \ery 
critical and the promoters themselves were un- 
able to agree uixni the details of their manage- 
ment. But one by one these difficulties dis- 
appeared and tiie horizon lirightened. Thou- 
sands of dollars in subscription notes were 
pledged. Even at this late date, the present 
company is engaged in collecting some of this 



subscri]jtion paper. These notes were given 
under various conditions, and quite an amount 
will never be realized b}' the company, because 
of its failure to build its line according to the 
terms described in the notes. 

.-\fter the original company was on its feet, 
the Lansing and Northern was put in commis- 
sion. Its objects were similar to those of the 
first company, but this corporation was born 
under the "Tramway .\ct." as it is called. The 
purpose of this move was to enable the com- 
pany to ol)tain its right-of-way over contesting 
land-owner's properties by instituting condem- 
nation ])roceedings, so it was stated by the pro- 
moters. The Lansing and Northern did ex- 
perience considerable difficulty in opening a 
right-of-way from Lansing to St. Johns, and 
the courts were appealed to in several instances. 
In many cases, however, land-owners gladly 
ga\e the company free passage, and on the 
whole the company received cordial treatment 
from the people. 

The work of construction proceeded slowly. 
The steam railroads were inclined, if reports 
are to be accepted, to cause the new electric 
line all troulile possible. The fact remains that 
the St. Johns line encountered manv obstacles 
from that source. The Pere ■Marquette, whose 
track the St. Johns line crossed, delayed 
jirogress by resisting the building of the over- 
head bridge. Other lines added to these dif- 
ficulties by delays in handling and delivering 
supplies and equipment to the new road. 
Finally, however, the roadbed was graded and 
the track laid u> St. Johns to the head of 
Swegles street. Permits were secured by the 
company and a locomotive attached to an old 
passenger coach, began the passenger traffic, 
and the "Great Northern" was a reality. On 
March 26. 1901. practically the first trip over 
the line was made, when the train carried a 
party of St. Johns business men to Lansing, for 
the purpose of investigating the beet-sugar in- 
dustry at that place, there being at that time, 
an agitation towards the establishment of a 
])]ant at St. Jnhns. The "Suburban" road was 
liuilt with lic;i\y rails and designed to carry 
freight, and betorc Imig freight cars were oc- 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



467 



casionally seen on tlie line. The iiromoters and 
contractors interested in tlie enterprise, became 
invi lived in difficulties among themselves over 
financial matters, and for a time affairs stood 
still, until com-t proceedings could straighten 
and adjust them. Permission to use steam as 
a moti\e power was extended from time to time, 
finally to December 14. 1902. Electric service 
was not fully installed until some months later, 
and bv degrees the equipment and service of 
the line has reached its present perfection. 

i'he St. Johns line is now owned and oper- 
ated by a coqxiration known as the I^ansing and 
Suburban Traction Company, which also con- 
trols the Lansing electric street railway, the 
St. Johns line being operated as a part of that 
system. The service on the line has improved 
marvelonsly since this change of management, 
and at present the road is splendidly equipped 
and successfully operated and has become a 
favorite line of travel to Lansing. The village 
of DeWitt. which so long was but a shaflow 
of its former greatness in Clinton county 
history, has taken on new life, and noticeable 
improvements have taken place since the ad- 
vent of the electric railway. The company runs 
one freight and Ijaggage car daily, and has 
placed several sidings along its route for load- 
ing freight cars with produce, especially sugar- 
beets. It is not improbable that before long 
the company will be prepared to handle heavy 
freight in large quantities, and when that time 
comes Clinton county will have attained what 
it has been asking for all these years — a line 
of transportation southward. 

The line has never been built northward from 
St. Johns. Various reasons have been given 
to explain this unfortunate fact. One is that 
the company is not yet financially strong enough 
for the undertaking; another is that experts 
have gone over the proposed route and reported 
that the population, taking into account the 
numl)er of miles to be traversed, does not war- 
rant the extending of the line. Maple Rapids 
is still without a railroad, and without doubt. 
were the line built northward. St. Johns would 
receive much benefit and the county generally 
would receive many advantages. However the 



extending of the road to the north is but a 
matter of time. There was considerable talk, 
while the I^ansing and St. Johns line was in 
progress of construction, of an electric line 
from Saginaw, incorporated as the Saginaw 
Southern, invading Clinton county from the 
iKirth, but nothing has yet been accomplished. 
( )n the iitlicr hand, a corporation — or rather 
several corporations have been organized for 
the purpose of building a continuous line of 
electric railw;iy connecting Grand Rapifls and 
Detroit, which v nuld take in Ovid, St. Johns 
and Fowler, and surveys have been made. It 
is thought by many who have given the matter 
attention, that the city of St. Johns will, in the 
tuture. become a center for electric railway 
lines. 

GROWTH OF THE SETTLEMENTS. 

.After considering the obstacles in the path of 
the pioneer who sought a home and competencv 
among the wilds of Clinton, the wonder is that 
these settlements progressed as rapidly as 
history records they did. The fact is that after 
the establishment of the i.solatal settlements 
here and there by small groups of families, thus 
in each instance fomiing the nucleus of a com- 
munity, the national and civic progress of the 
county is no less than inarvelous. These set- 
tlements were composed of families who were 
willing to brave the hardships of pioneer life 
in order that they might build homes, and the 
home is the fundamental institution upon which 
civil .society is foun<Icd. Once these homes, 
however simple, whatever the privation, the 
school, church, county and township organiza- 
tions must naturally follow. 

.\s has been recorded herein. George Cam- 
pau, the Indian trader, entered the Maple River 
countrv' in 1832. Makitoquet, the chief, and 
his people were then the occupants of this sec- 
tion, and the white settlers came into intimate 
contact with them. Campau purchased the 
northwest quarter of the northwest quarter of 
section number eight of what is now Essex 
township, in November of 1832, and some time 
later established his trading station. It will 



468 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



be noted tliat this purchase was at the site of 
the present village of Maple Rapids, and that 
the Maple river, so important a factor in the 
progress of Clinton county, is right at hand. 
In 183s Lx)uis Campau, a brother of George 
Campau, took up the south forty acres of the 
eighty-acre tract described as the west one- 
half of the northwest quarter of the section 
numljered above, and shortly after George 
Campau built a home at the "Rapids." upon the 
north forty above described, for his wife anrl 
children, whom he brought with him. The 
dwelling he created was of the pioneer pattern, 
and near it he built his store building for he 
was the Indian trader. This building of hewn 
logs, remained standing for years after its 
builder was forgotten. It was here that the 
jjeople of Makitoquet exchanged and bartered 
the forest products, furs and peltries, for the 
trader's merchandise. Campau. being a fluent 
Frenchman, was able to converse with his In- 
dian customers either in French or Chippewa 
dialect, an accomplishment indispensable to In- 
dian traders of the northwest. Tobacco, 
whiskey, cheap calicoes, knives, lead and pow- 
der, and trinkets, toys and ornaments of various 
attractiveness and utility to his customers, con- 
stituted his stock in trade. This trading post 
was the center of community life in the north- 
west Clinton for some time. The township of 
Wandagon in 1838. and Lebanon in 1839, held 
their first township meetings at diis post. In 
1842 John Johnson purchased the interests of 
Campau, who went to Grand Rapids. Follow- 
ing Campau came Hiram Benedict. Timothy H. 
Pettit, and their families, with John Brown, a 
single man. These pioneers came from Sara- 
toga, New York, in 1837. Benedict purchased 
the west half of section nine, and later the east 
one hundred and sixty acres of section eight 
came into his jxissession, this giving him con- 
trol of a tract of four hundred and sixty acres 
of land. It is interesting to note that Benedict 
was successively supervisor of Wandagon, 
Lebanon, Bengal and Essex townships, which 
ixjsitions of honor antl trust he held widiout 
changing his residence. This fact is due to the 
changes in toundaries of the townships in 



course of their development, as will be de- 
scribed later. 

Lyman Webster, called "Maquah" by his 
Indian neighbors, and Chauncey M. Stebbins, 
came "u the scene from Ionia in 1837. and set- 
tled in the southeastern quarter of the Essex 
country upon secticjns thirty-five and thirty-six. 
Daniel Kellogg and Sylvester Stevens came 
from Washtenaw and in 1839 located ujxjn sec- 
tion nineteen, where Mr. Stevens built a saw- 
mill on Haywnrth creek, which crosses sections 
nineteen and twenty. This mill afterwards be- 
came the property of Thomas Irwin and Wil- 
liam Hewitt, and was one of several enterprises 
of its kind estalilished in early days along the 
\alley of the Maple and its tributaries. 

In 1840, Lucene Eldridge. Joshua I'rink and 
Joshua Coomer founded homes upon sections 
thirty-four and thirty-five: Solomon Mo.ss came 
in 1841 from Cayuga county. New York, to 
section thirty-three. 

James Sowle. Jr.. originally from Xew 'N'ork, 
later a resident of Washtenaw county, selected 
lands on sections twenty-one. two and three, 
and in July of 1837 built his residence. Mr. 
Sowle was a carpenter and mill-wright b\- trade, 
and superintended the construction of the Wa- 
oiusta mills in 1837. He erected the first mills 
at Huljbardston and Maple Rapids and con- 
structed the first frame barn in the township of 
Essex in 1839. He was on the most friendly 
terms with his Indian neightors and frequently 
plowed their patches of land upon which die 
Indian women raised corn, potatoes and turnijis, 
according to their custom. He received maple 
sugar which the Indians along the Maple made 
in considerable quantities, as com])ensation for 
his services. 

In June of 1840. there were in the Essex 
countv fifteen resident tax-payers; in 1844 the 
number had increased to thirty-one: six years 
later diere were seventy tax-paying citizens re- 
siding in township eight north of range three 
west, and in i860 the numlier had increased to 
one hun(Ire<l and ninety-eight. The township 
of Essex then had a iX)pulation of over one 
thousand: Maple Rapids was a village of two 
hundred and fourteen dwelling houses. Farms 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



469 



of large acreage liad l)een cleare<l and were 
vmder cultivation. The settlements had iieen 
divided into school districts and the people were 
pmsijerous and happy. 

But hefore the trader's station had heen l)nilt 
on the Maple river at Maple Rapids, and ])rior 
to the entry of Rochester colony into the wilder- 
ness of Duplain. Captain David Scott, witli his 
family, had left Ann .Xrhor in ^^"ashten,•^w 
county, hound for Clinton. Wagons drawn hy 
ox teams were the means of transixirtation and 
the journey was full of ])eril and hardship. Tlie 
courageous party reached ihe [)rescnt site of 
DeWitt village on Octoher 4, 1833. The fam- 
ily occupied an Indian wigwam for several 
weeks hefore their log house was ready for oc- 
cupancy. Captain Scott had previously located 
one thou.sand four hundred and twenty-six 
acres of land in DeW'itt township. These set- 
tlers brought with them one horse and seventeen 
head of cattle. In 1834, si.x hundred and forty 
bushels of whe;it were raised from a twenty- 
acre fielil. In 1839 Captain Scott erected a 
frame building for a store-nxmi and grocery. 
In 1838 Milo H. Turner, agent of George T. 
Clark, who had located land on the south side 
of the Looking Glass, brought a stock of goods 
to the settlement and oi)ened a store in DeWitt 
village in a l<ig building. By utilizing the saw- 
mill of Hiram Stowell, he built a large frame 
building which was used as a tavern. In 1844 
Milo Turner and his brother, Jes.se Foot 
Turner, who arrived in 1839, erected a grist- 
mill on the LrH)king Glass which was destroyed 
by fire in 1847, but rebuilt. The grist-mill 
was a valuable addition to the pioneer village 
and adjacent country, as previous to its con- 
struction, the settlers were compelled to jour- 
nev to the Wacousta mill with tlieir grain, the 
latter being ])ut up in 1837. 

Chauncey S. I-'erguson located with his fam- 
ily upon section six in DeWitt in 1834. This 
])ioneer came from Oakland county. The third 
pioneer to come to this region was Franklin 
Oliver, who journeyed from Xiagani county. 
New York, in 1835. He entered ui)on a tract 
of over two hundred acres. He built a saw- 
mill but never accomplished much with it be- 



cause of lack of power. The fourth newcomer, 
it is claimed, was William M. Webb who, in 
1833, entered a tract of one hundred and 
seventy acres uiion section six. Webb came 
from I'lymouth, Wayne county, and was suc- 
cessful in clearing anil imijroving the land he 
located. F.phraim H. Ctley follinved William 
M. Webb into the DeW'itt settlement and started 
a clearing upon section seven. Ctle)' was promi- 
nent in the public affairs of his day, practicing 
law , acting as county commissioner, and hold- 
ing township office. The Goodrich neighlxir- 
hood was opened bv .\lanson Gfiodrich, who ap- 
])eared in 1835 : made a land entry ujion sec- 
tion seven in 1837. The first .school house in 
Clinton was erected upon the Goodrich plat. 
Isaac Hewitt alst) came in 1835 from Steuben 
county. New York, stopping at section seven- 
teen. 

Washington Jackson, of Wayne county, was 
the first circuit preacher to invade this settle- 
ment. Services were held by him at dwelling 
houses as early as 1838. One by one, family 
by family, the DeWitt settlement increased in 
number. In 1839 twenty-eight descriptions of 
property were on the assessment roll of the 
township, while in 1840 the township embraced 
within the limits of the present township of De- 
Witt, contained forty-five resident tax-jwyers. 

It will be noted that George Campau jnir- 
chased land on section eight in Esse.x towm- 
ship on November 30, 1832, but did not 
occupy the same until .some time in 1835, after 
Louis Campau, his brother, had entered lands 
on the same section on July i t, 1835. Ca[)tain 
David Scott, with Mrs. Scott and two ,S(,mis. 
Giarles and David, reached their land in De- 
Witt on Octol)er 4, 1833. .\s far as actual 
settlement is concerned. Captain David Scott 
was the first pioneer, as far as records disclose, 
to establish himself in Clinton c<xinty. Settle- 
ments were made in Letenon, and Eagle town- 
ships in 1834, and in Watertown in 1835 Calvin 
Maitin became a .settler upon lands which he 
had i)reviously entered. In 1836 the townships 
of Bath. Dallas, Duplain, Greenbush, Ovid. 
Olive. Riley and \'ictor received each its first 
settlers. Bingham and Bengal lieing settled the 



470 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



following year. Thus frum 1833 to and in- 
cluding 1837, every township of Clinton county 
had its group of pioneers who began at once the 
task of clearing away forests, building saw- 
mills and grist-mills, driving out their forest 
enemies, and paving the way for the founding 
of community and civic life, by establishing 
homes, in a wilderness almost isolated from the 
civilized world. The stoiy of these settle- 
ments will now be briefly narrated, and then 
we shall learn how these pioneers lived, and 
their customs and methods of surmounting the 
obstacles liy which an unsubdued wilderness ob- 
structed their paths. 

PIONEER LIFE AND PROGRESS. 

On May 2, 1834. Daniel Barker became the 
owner of land on sections thirty and thirtv'-one 
of what is now Lebanon township, his location 
being in die southwest portion of that town- 
ship, eight north of range four west. This 
pioneer's choice was a fortunate one, as he lo- 
cated in a most beautiful and fertile section of 
country. In the fall of the same year our 
pioneer settler brought his wife and infant chil- 
dren to their wilderness home from Washtenaw 
where he had settled after leaving his native 
Connecticut. After building his house, the 
work of clearing his land for cultivation began 
and after three years of toil twenty-five of his 
virgin acres responded to the husbandman's 
sowing. Here were born the first pair of twins 
who breathed Clinton county air, on June i, 
1837, an event which excited much interest. 
This settler was compelled to do his trading at 
Ionia, and on one of those tedious journeys he 
was drowned in crossing the Maple river. His 
oxen perished with him. This tragic circum- 
stance happened in November, 1837. It was 
in the following March that an Indian, aided 
by his dog, discovered the body under the ice. 

The Vance brothers, John, Andrew and Wil- 
liam, arrived from New York state in the 
month of May, 1837. Joh" Vance, of the three, 
^vas married and brought his wife and two 
daughters with him. This family began oper- 
ations on section thirty-one, and later figured in 



the organization of Wandagon township, and 
later took a prominent part in Lebanon's aflfairs. 
John A. Millard, related to John Vance, arrived 
on the ground in July, 1837. Millard, with his 
wife and two infant children, one of whom was 
but six weeks old, started from his New York 
home in a wagon drawn by a yoke of oxen. 
The team wearing out, was traded towards a 
span of horses, and the wearj^ travelers reached 
their destination after six w'eeks of plodding. 
Sebastian Beckwith purchased lands in this 
vicinity in 1835. After his death in the year 
1838, his brothers, one Dr. Norton H. and the 
other, Miner Y., occupied the Clinton lands. 
These settlers also came from Washtenaw 
county, where they had located after moving 
from Geneva, New York. It is reported that 
Norton H. Beckwith built a frame house and 
l)ani in 1840. In December, 1838, Charles 
Sessions, who came with his parents from 
Onondaga county. New York, and settled in 
Ionia county in Lyons township, began im- 
provements upon a tract of one hundred and 
twenty acres which lay in section twenty-two. 
His neighbors were the East Plains community 
before mentioned. Our prioneer started out 
with an a^-e and twenty dollars, but his labors 
counted much in opening the wilderness of cen- 
tral Lebanon as yet not invaded. His associates 
were Indians and wild animals until 1840. when 
Miriam McCooley became his wife. ]Mr. 
Session's first ox team grew under his eye from 
a pair of calves. 

Mr. Jay Sessions, a son of Charles Sessions, 
is now a resident of Lebanon. In a history 
of the township, prepared by Mr. Sessions for 
the Clinton County Pioneer Society, Mr. Ses- 
sions says, "In the spring of 1837, Charles Ses- 
sions, father of the writer of this sketch, the 
eldest of a family of seventeen children, came 
from Onondaga county, New York, on the lake, 
with a sister and two brothers, to Detroit, with 
wagon, ox yokes, chains, household goods, etc., 
where they met their father who had crossed 
Ohio and purchased two yoke of oxen. 
With this outfit they drove through, making 
twelve to fifteen miles daily. From Pontiac it 
was an unbroken wilderness. The journey lay 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



471 



thniuj;Ii DeWitt, where were tnuiKl a few set- 
tlers. The first day out from the latter villajje 
thev staved over ni^g^ht in tlic wimkIs near the 
late Cortland Hill's residence in Bengal, which 
was prior to his moving there. Mr. Sessions 
tirst went with his parents one mile west of 
Matherton, hut in Decemher, 1838. he put up 
a log hut on the .southeast cjuarter of the north- 
east quarter of section twent)'-two in Leba- 
non, being six miles from any white neigh- 
lx)rs. and lived there alone until .\ugust 27. 
1840. when he married Miriam Cooley, of Ionia 
county." 

Casual reference has been made to salt 
springs along the Maple river. In 1836 and 
1837 Robert S. Parks. Lawson S. Warner 
et al.. of Ionia, bought lands of section ten. 
fifteen, seventeen and twenty. It is said that 
"Parks sunk a barrel of salt in a hole on the 
bottom of Maple river for purposes of specu- 
lation." However, the original name "Wanda- 
gon," signified .salt springs, and early residents 
of Shiawassee have asserted that Indians ob- 
tained salt from Lebanon before Clinton was 
well known, .\nyhow, a corporation was or- 
ganized by legislative act of 1838, named the 
"Clinton Salt-works Company." Frame build- 
ings were erected and a village plat made; 
advertising was done in the financial centers 
of the east. The company had ingenuity and 
land but little salt. The "Clinton Salt-works 
Bank" was also bom in 1838. whose history 
was similar to that of other "wildcat banks," 
which did such great damage to business in 
Michigan during that period of "frenzied 
finance." 

In 1840 nine resident ta.x-payers were en- 
rolled. They were assessed upon an aggregate 
of one thousand seven hundred and nineteen 
acres. The speculating enterprises before men- 
tioned, retarded the settlement of the township, 
so that in 1850 there were but thirty tax-pay- 
ers residing within Lebanon's Ixirders, while in 
Essex, whose first actual settletnent was later 
than that of Lebanon, there were seventy. 
However, the next ten years was a most suc- 
cessful decade in the township's progress, there 
being at that time one hundred and thirty-three 
resident property owners. 
30 



In 1831. .\nthony Xiles and Stephen B. 
Groger, accompanied by their families, came to 
Detroit from Genesee county. New ^'ork, by 
the steamlioat Rol)ert Fulton. With them they 
brought their supi)ly of goods and chattels in 
boxes and barrels, .\fter landing at Detroit 
thev moved on into Oakland county by means 
of ox teams hitched to wagons. Later Niles, 
with others, followed the Indian trail from 
I'ontiac westward to die present site of Port- 
land. In I'ebruary. Xiles and Groger and 
families started west from Troy, in Oakland 
county. When DeWitt township was reached 
their horses l)ecame mired and after much 
trouble were extricated. The cabin of Captain 
Scott was reached after a laborious journey. 
Here the party with others. Daniel Clark, Her- 
man Thomas and John Benson, decided to con- 
tinue the tri]5 by means of boats and rafts down 
the Looking Glass. The rude crafts were 
finallv launched, and with Clark, Thomas and 
Benson aboard the journey down the river be- 
gan. Niles and Groger, with a yoke of oxen, 
remained on land to wend a tedious path 
dirough the forests. The water transportation 
did not prove successful, as the raft "struck a 
snag."' and the na\igators were forced to land. 
The goods carried by the raft were transferred 
to the whitewood "dug-outs" and operations 
were resumed. The Ixiats were overloaded and 
one of them came near enough sinking to lose 
a coop of fowls for their owners. The goods, 
wares and merchandise of the party were landed 
and transferred near section twenty-three of 
Eagle. The party on board the water craft 
moved on to the present site of Portland, in 
Ionia county. When Niles reached that vicinity 
he pitched his tent. One of his cows strayed 
from the cam]) and Niles spent the next day 
looking for her. In his search he had an op- 
portunity to observe the country. He followed 
on to the Indian village where his companions 
stopped. He soon concluded, however, that the 
spot where he had lost his cow was the place 
for him to locate, and in consequence the whole 
party returned. Section twent>--three was the 
choice of them all, and Daniel Clark and Her- 
nrin Thomas started for the White Pigeon land 
office for the purpose of entering lands for them- 



472 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



selves and Xiles. Groger and Benson. Xiles 
and Groger remained upon the lands they had 
selected, while Clark and Thomas did not re- 
turn until the following fall. On the ist day 
of March, 1834, Niles' son, Ezekiel. felled the 
first tree which fell by a woodman's axe in 
Eagle. The Xiles k^g house was built near 
the spot where the pioneer had pitched his tent 
on the journey into the interior. The second 
dwelling was erected by Groger. The first 
birth in Eagle was that of Susan Groger, who 
saw light in (October, 1834. 

John Benson and Herman Thomas were the 
next to build cabins on their lands in Eagle. 
In the fall of 1834 Anthony Xiles built a log 
house twenty-eight by thirty feet in dimensions 
and here the first church organization of Eagle 
came to life. 

In the year 1836 immigration throughout 
the county increased at a considerable rate, as 
has been noted, and Eagle received its propor- 
tion. In 1836 the first frame building was 
constructed by .\nthony Niles and son for 
Jesse Monroe from lumber brought from Port- 
land. The building was located on section 
seven. In the same year one Peter Kent built 
a sa\\'-niill for Philo Beers on section number 
fourteen. Another saw-mill was made by 
Henry Gibbs for Philo Doty. Among the other 
early settlers are the following: Oliver Beers, 
on section twenty-six ; Philo Beers, section four- 
teen ; Charles Beers, .section thirty-four: Morris 
Allen, on section twenty-three: Joseph Eddy, 
.section fifteen; Jacob DeWitt, on section fifteen: 
\'alentine CrA'derman, section thirteen, and so 
the list might be continued. In 1841, seven 
years after .\nthony Niles built his cabin, there 
were at least forty-five resident tax-payers in 
Eagle township. 

Daniel Clark's brother, David Clark, ac- 
companied him on his return to Eagle town- 
ship, after entering his land in 1834. The two 
brothers felled the timber on five acres of the 
plat, preparatoiy to making a clearing, and left 
for Pontiac. In the fall of the same year, 
Daniel Clark with another brother, Henry, 
finished the clearing and sowed a field of wheat. 
]n the fall of 1835, Jonas Clark, who had set- 



tled in Oaklantl in 1833, j(jined his brothers in 
Eagle. This family jjerformed a considerable 
part in the pioneer days of the township. Only 
recently, a memljer of this group of settlers died 
at his home in the township of his choice. Bom 
in Rutland county in ^'ermont, in 18 17, he 
visited Eagle in 1834, when but seventeen years 
of age. In September, 1835, he returned with 
his ])arents and remained until the day of his 
death, Octoljer 24, 1905. He was a son of 
David Clark, Ijefore mentioned. In 1841 the 
township had forty-five land-owners whose 
names apiieared upon its tax-rolls. Of these, 
Stephen Groger held one hundred and twenty 
acres on section twenty-two; Oliver Doty, two 
hundred and forty acres on sections twenty-five 
and twenty-six ; W". F. Jenison, two hundred 
and forty acres on section twenty-two; Josepli 
Eddy, three hundred and eighty-five acres on 
sections fourteen and fifteen. Out of the total 
of forty-fi\'e, four were on section twenty-two, 
six on twenty-three, five on twenty-five. Orange 
Eddy was alone on section two; Jason Ma- 
comher had number four all to himself; George 
\\\ Jones was the only landlord on thirty-one; 
Henry Rowland held one hundred and fifty- 
five acres on thirteen, while Oliver Rowland 
owned one hundred and eighty-two acres of the 
same section. Henry Rowland's family was 
the seventh of the settlers to locate in Eagle, 
and in another chapter of this narrative will 
appear his stoiy of the pioneer's life in Eagle, 
as related by Mrs. M. J. Niles. Eagle village, 
which is located on section twenty, was not 
platted until the advent of the Detroit. Lansing 
& Northern Railroad { then the Ionia and 
Lansing), in 1873. 

Watertown township is divided into two near 
nearly e(|ual divisions by the Looking Glass 
river which follows a westward course through 
sections thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, si.xteen, 
seventeen, eighteen, bending north from section 
seventeen and traversing the southern part of 
section eight. The Looking Glass was utilized 
to a considerable extent in this region for water- 
power and the remains of many primiti\e mills 
may Ije seen along its banks. It will be re- 
membered that Tames Sowle, the Essex settler, 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



473 



1)iiilt the U'acoiista mill in Watertown in 
1X37. Section twelve received the first Water- 
town settler in 1835. when Calvin Marvin 
hnmg^ht his family from Oakland connty to his 
one hundred and twenty-acre tract. Dr. Seth 
Mar\in settled near his father and hes^an the 
])ractice of medicine, later niovin;.;- to DeW'itl. 
then the central settlement of the county. 
Samuel Foreman. orij^inalK' a New \'ork man. 
hut directly from Wayne count)', located ujjon 
section ele\en in 1835, being the second settler 
in that region. Samuel Hill, another Wayne 
county .settler, began operations on section 
fifteen. In 1836. Edward P>utterfield purchased 
land on section twelve, but did not settle upon 
the same until 1838: in 1837 a .settler from 
'i'ioga county. Xew York. tra\eled the De.xter 
trail to the Ionia land office and became the 
holder of land on sections two and three. His 
name was Selah Ferris. He liegan his clear- 
ing the following year. \\ illiam Mosher, also 
arrived on the scene in 1837: the numlier of 
residents increased rapidly, so that in 1841, 
there were thirty-nine land-owners. Of this 
nuniber \\'. Hubbel held possession of three 
hundred and ninety-one acres on sections seven, 
eiglit, seventeen and eighteen. Lands were lo- 
cated and entered in Watertown at the early 
date of 1834, but the first actual settlement 
was made as above stated. Benjamin Silsby, 
who came to the township in 1838 from Steu- 
ben county. New York, engaged in the busi- 
nes of moving settlers from Detroit and 
Pontiac and other ])oints. to Clinton county. 
Liiter he followed the occupation of a jieddlar 
and finally, with Harvey Hunter, ojx^ned a 
store in Wacousta. in 1840. Money being 
scarce, hides, wheat and odier commodities 
were the medium of exchange. In 1839, Parker 
Wel)ber came to Wacousta from Xew "N'ork. 
and took charge of the Wacousta grist mill. 
The first grist put through the mill was a 
bushel of com. Tradition does not inform us 
as to tlie amount of "toll," which the miller 
took for this grist. 

County Schocjl Commissioner T. H. Town- 
send, in an article on Watertown historj-, pre- 
sented bv him to the Clinton County Pioneer 



.Society recently, has the following to say re- 
garding the naming of this township: "I have 
been unable definitely to .settle as to the de- 
rivation of the name Watertowm. but here is 
at least a ])lausii)le theory. It is a generally 
well known fact of history that emigration takes 
pl.ice along the jjarallels. I)y that I mean that 
a people emigrating from a certain latitude in 
the east, for instance, say one hundred, five 
hundred or a thousand miles, will \ye found mak- 
ing honies for themselves in alxiut the same 
latitude that they had occupied in the east. 
Trace the history of each paiple from east to 
west, following parallels, and you will find 
them to possess man\- things in common, com- 
mon habits and tastes and the same family 
names, the same geographical names. Look on 
\our maps and you will find Clinton county 
crosses by the same parallels as central New 
^'ork and northern Massachusetts And through- 
out New York and Massachusetts you will find 
the geograjihical names of Essex. Clinton. 
Rochester. DeWitt and Watertown: Watertown 
esjiecially being a favorite name in that section 
of the east. .\s alxne stated, the historic settlers 
of Watertown. almost to an individual, either 
directly or indirectly, came from Massachusetts 
or New York and that, together with the fact 
that the part of Watertown first settled, was 
well watered (hence the name a fitting one) 
would at least establish a plausible theory upon 
which to found a rea.son for chri.stening the 
organization Watertown." 

In 1836 settlements throughout the county 
nndtiplied rapidly. During this year, actual 
settlements were made for the first time in Bath, 
Dallas. Duplain. (ireenbush. Ovid. Olive. Riley 
and N'ictor townships. In 1837 the list was 
comjjleted. when Cortland Hill and Lucius 
Morton .settle<l P>engal and Bingham, respect- 
ively. It is worthy of n(jtice that DeWitt town- 
shi]), which was actually settletl the first of all 
town.ships of the county, was for .some years 
the commercial center of the county and ob- 
tained the county seat while Bingham was the 
last of the whole number to receive a settler in 
December, 1837, and now contains the largest 
city of the county and has the county seat. 



474 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



Reference has l)een made to the discouragements 
which the settler in Bath township encountered, 
because of the large amount of marsh and 
swamp lands which the township contained 
within its borders. The settlement and de- 
velopment of this section of countrj' \\'as slow, 
because of these conditions. On the other hand, 
some of the settlers who had iirst taken pos- 
session of the township, preferred to hunt and 
fish, rather than to clear land and make farms 
and these persons regarded the encroachments 
of immigrants with disfavor, even to the point 
of resistance. All sorts of schemes were re- 
sorted to by this unscrupulous class to discour- 
age and prevent further settlement of the 
county. Roads were blockaded ; warning no- 
tices were posted. In some instances the more 
respectable settlers were actually driven from 
the township. 

Ira Cushman was doubtless the first settler 
to locate in Bath. He entered upon section 
nineteen in 1836. He brought his family to his 
land in the winter of 1837. The log house he 
built was twenty-six feet long by sixteen feet 
wide, quite a building for those days in Clinton 
county. His first crops were fields of corn and 
potatoes. In 1836 Silas W. Rose appeared and 
looked the ground over, and in .\pril of the 
next year, shortly after Cushman had taken his 
abode on section nineteen. Rose landed on the 
ground and settled upon a tract of three hun- 
dred and twenty acres on section twent\'-three. 
His family consisted of his wife and five chil- 
dren. He was the fortunate possessor of three 
ox teams, a wagon, two cows and farming 
implements, Ijesides a reasonable household 
equipment. There is some doubt as to whom 
belongs the credit of plowing the first furrow 
in Bath township, Cushman or Rose. In the 
spring of 1837 James Smith settled upon sec- 
tion thirty-six. In the autumn of the same 
year Jacob Conklin built his cabin on section 
seven. It is said that this house contained but 
one board, and that was a part of the single 
door the cabin had. Section eighteen was 
entered by Nathaniel Newman and family at 
about the same time. Newman died in 1838. 
The conditions above mentioned, which re- 



tarded the growth of the township, had their 
effect to a late date. In 1852 the aggregate 
valuation of the assessable property, as rated 
liy the board of supervisors of the township, 
was $18,450.00, as against $71,051.00 for 
DeWitt; $54,586.00 for Eagle: and $48,242.00 
for Essex. 

In 1843 there were twenty-four votes cast for 
sui)er\-isor; in 1850 the number was thirty- 
four; in i860 the numljer had increased to 
one hundred and three; in 1870 to one hundred 
and twenty-si.x and in 1880 the numljer of votes 
cast was two hundred and ninety-si.x. 

This township is drained by the Looking 
Glass river, and during the last twent}'-five 
years the progress of the township has been 
rapid. 

Dallas township is drained by Stony creek, 
which flows westward through Dallas from 
Bengal. In the early days this stream was of 
more consequence than now and was used to 
some extent as a water-power. The old road 
following the line of this stream through Dallas, 
westward, was formerly an important avenue 
of travel. In 1836, when Morris Boughton 
and Benjamin Welsch came into Clinton. 
Welsch was the first settler in Dallas, while 
Boughton was the first to locate in Riley. 
Welsch established himself in section thirty- 
six near the road cleared by the Dexter Colony, 
on its march to Ionia before mentioned. In 
1837 one Simeon McCoy put up a cabin upon 
a four hundred-acre tract on section twenty- 
seven, owned by Giles Isham, of Lyons. Mc- 
Coy left the country after clearing eleven acres. 
George F. Dutton, bom in Chenango county. 
New York, moved to Detroit with his mother, 
and from there located in Ionia and established 
him.self upon the Grand river in the spring of 
1835. I" 1840 he exchanged his Ionia property 
for a tract of one hundred and sixty acres on 
section twenty-two of Dallas. At this time, 
McCoy had departed. It is said that Nathan 
Bigelow and his wife were living in a wagon 
box on section twenty-three, one mile east of 
Dutton's place, when the Dutton family arrived. 
Bigelow's neightors turned in and helped him 
build a cabin. Dutton was one of the more 



1 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



475 



fortunate settlers who owned Imrses and he 
made use of his opportimity and engaged in the 
husiness of liauling merchandise from Detroit 
to the western settlements. He followed the 
line of the old Dexter trail in making his trips. 
Northern Dallas received its first settler in the 
person of Andrew R. Vance, a bachelor, w ho 
located on section four. He came from the 
Vance family who settled on the Lebanon Plains 
at an early date. .\t about the time of Dutton's 
appearance in Dallas, the famous Parks family 
settled upon the Isham tract where McCoy be- 
gan his clearing. Smith Parks, with a family 
of seventeen children, invaded Dallas and this 
family became a sturdy factor in the histor\' 
of the township. Davis Parks, a brother to 
Smith Parks, settled upon section twenty-seven 
also. He and his brother Ijuilt a saw-mill upon 
a site on Stony creek in 1840. hauling the lum- 
ber for construction from Miles Mansfield's 
lumber mill i>n the Looking Glass, in Eagle. 
Davis Parks c;une from Oakland county to 
Dallas, and made five tri])s over the long road 
with an o.\-te;ini. in moving his goods. In the 
earlv ilays, a band of sturdy, thrifty German 
settlers crossed the Dallas line from West- 
phalia and .settled upm lands south of Stony 
creek. .Xnn^ng these were John Scbaffer. who 
lived on section thirty-one: John A. I'edewa, 
who conducted a store on section thirty-two. 
Little progress was made in the settlement of 
northern Dallas until after the advent of the 
Detroit and Milwaukee Railway. The town- 
ship was named through the suggestion of 
George F. Dutton. 

The c|uestion arises, why is it tli.it Ovid 
township, lying u\ym the eastern Ixirder of Clin- 
ton county, was one of the la.st in l)eing settled. 
What explanation there is, will be disclosed by 
this article. The surface of the country' con- 
fined within the borders of this township is 
level, the soil fertile: the township is traversed 
from north to .south by the Maple river and 
its tributaries. 

The settlement of Ovid is linked with the 
establishment of Rochester colony in Duplain 
in 1836. Samuel Barker located upon sec- 
tion six of Ovid township in July of that year. 



and erected his log cabin upon the north line 
of that section. Reference to a county map will 
show that he was a neighbor of the Duplain 
settlers of the same period. Barker staid on 
section si.x until December. 1836, when he 
moved over to the Colony w-ith his friends. The 
cabin with its bark floor and roof w'as not long 
vacant. In the early part of 1836, .Allen 
Lounsbury and William II. Farager had located 
land on sections four and six, and in Decem- 
ber, 1836, Lounsbury arrived with his family 
from Oakland county, having made the jour- 
ney by means of an ox-team and wagon. 
Lounsbury took up a residence in the Barker 
cabin \\hile he built his cabin on .section four, 
in which work he was aided by Enoch Willis, 
a brother-in-law. The Lounsbuiy family suf- 
fered its share of privations which were the lot 
of the pioneer. On one occasion in the spring 
of 1837, the head of that household started on 
foot for I^'iingsburg for a supply of flour which 
the family was in need of. Not being able to 
obtain any at Laing's store, he continued to 
DeWitt, where he was successful. Shoulder- 
ing his load, he trudged home and reached his 
destination after a three days' absence. In 
1837 the southern portion of the township re- 
ceived as its first settler, who was the third to 
enter the township, John Cross, who arrived 
with his f.'imily in September of that year. Mr. 
Cross and his brother. Thomas Cross, had been 
through the country the year before in search 
of a location and had built a rude cabin on sec- 
tion thirty-six. This dismal home to which the 
family came, had no floor, nor doors, and not 
even a window. The first nights after their 
arrival the family slept in the wagon box until 
a bedstead could be made. They prepared their 
meals over a log fire, not having a stove. These 
settlers suffered considerable difficulty in ward- 
ing oft' starvation. In 1838 found the senior 
Cross preparing to remove his family to the 
east. It was his intenti<in to wait until a later 
(lav. when the country .should l)e more generally 
ci\ ilized. before he proceeded farther in clearing 
and improving his land. In 1844 he returned 
to the caiiin, where he had left his goods stored, 
with the intention of returning to his estate, but 



4/6 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



found lliul his precautions had not been ef- 
fective and that his outfit had been stolen by 
some unscrupulous wanderer. 

The next settler to take possession of Ovid 
lands was ^^'illiam Van Sickle, who built a 
cabin in the southern part of section thirty-one 
in the summer of 1838. A small clearing was 
made, but here all attempts at improvement 
ceased. Inquisitive persons began to investi- 
gate, and it was concluded that this cabin was 
nothing less than a bogus dollar mint. An ex- 
pedition set out from Detroit, upon informa- 
tion furnished by Henry Leach, of Scioto, and 
captured Van Sickle and his gang, while they 
were engaged in the act of coining counterfeit 
Mexican dollars. This locality has retained the 
name "Bogus Settlement" to date. In 1837 
Stephen Pearl settled at the present site of 
Shepar(ls\-ille; in the fall of 1839. Jobev Deni- 
son. later famous as a bear-hunter, came to the 
township. Later I-'rederick Cranson. John 
Voorbeis. Aloses Smith and Joseph Parmenter 
arrived. David Cranson began a clearing on 
section t\venty-fi\e in 1838, and in 1839. Air. 
Voorbeis moved with his family into the in- 
hospitaljle shanty left by his predecessor, and 
began operations. .At this time the country 
north of section twent\--five was an unbroken 
wilderness. Solomon Bush and O. Carpenter 
took u]) land on section twentv-four. In 1840 
the tax-roll was as follows: 

.Allen Loun.sbury, section 4, 160 acres. 

Enocli Willis, section 5, 80 acres. 

William b'arager, section 6, 240 acres. 

John Jessop. section 9, 160 acres. 

Stephen Pearl, sections 9-10, 60 acres. 

Frederick Cranson. section 15, 40 acres. 

Jude Carter, personal. 



David B. Cranson, secti 



ion 



160 acres. 



William A'an Sickle, section 31. 160 acres. 
John AlcCollum. section 31, 80 acres. 
James Nelson, section 31. 80 acres. 
Enos Kenyon. section 25, 80 acres. 
Jobes Deni.son, section 35, 120 acres. 
Lawrence Cortright, section 36, 80 acres. 
William Swarthout, section 36, 320 acres. 
James Gunsally. section 5, 80 acres. 
.A sur\-ev of the above record indicates that 



in 1840 only nine sections of the township had 
resident land owners upon them. 

The settlement of Ovid township must be 
associated with that of Duplain, insomuch as 
the first settlements in Ixith townships were 
made by the same group of immigrants from 
the east. The Rochester colony originated in 
the city of Rochester, New A'ork. At a meet- 
ing of those interested on Februar}' 29, 1836, 
articles of association were entered into. By 
these articles, the organization was designated 
as "The Rochester Colony." The raising of 
a fund for the purchase of lands was provided 
by these articles. One peculiar provision re- 
garding inu'chase and ownership of lands was 
as follows : "Deeds for any purchase of lands 
may Ije executed to the agents as grantees, liut 
expressed to be to diem as joint tenants in com- 
mon, in order that there may be a surx'ivorship 
on the death of either. The lands, although 
conveyed dius aljsolutely for the sake of con- 
venience, shall be considered as purchased and 
held in trust for the suljscriliers who contribute 
tti the funds." It was the plan that the lands 
jiurchased by the company should be surveyed 
and di\ided into fanu lots of eighty acres each 
and \-illage lots. .\ share consisted of one farm 
lot and one or more village lots. The lots were 
drawn at rxocbester city, and each subscriber 
received a contract in writing from the com- 
pany's agent, securing to him an interest in tlie 
land which fell to him in drawing. After a 
share-holder bad matle an actual settlement upon 
bis land or had impro\ed the same to the ex- 
tent of one-fourth of the cost, value thereof, 
be received a deed of the fee title to his share. 
Should any land be left, it was provided that 
the same should be sold at auction, and the pro- 
ceeds divided among the share-holders. The 
intention of the association was to establish an 
actual settlement and communit}- in the far west 
and as a precaution, their articles provided that 
in case any sub.scribing shareholder failed to 
make improvements within eighteen months 
after drawing his share, as required b}' the by- 
laws, his holding should be forfeited and sold 
at public auction. The proceeds not exceeding 
original cnst were paid to the subscriber, after 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



477 



taxes, assessments and cliargcs were deducted, 
and it any balance remained, it went to tlie 
share-holders in good standing. Any person 
was entitled to menil)ershi|i and a vote in the 
association liv subscribing for one share of one 
hundred and twenty-five dollars, five dollars 
payable at once and the balance payable upon 
call. In this manner a purchasing fund was 
provided fur. As has been stated, some of the 
lands purchased and sur\eyed under this ar- 
rangement lay in Ovid township. The tax-roll 
of that township for 1840 shows an assessment 
to James Ciunsall}- uimn "lot 43" ui^on section 
five thereof. Saiuuel H;nker. the first Ovid set- 
tler, was the owner of a colony lot on section 
six and settled there. .\t a meeting of the as- 
sociation on .\pril 2. 1836. W. G. Russell. 
Joseph Sever and F.. R. Everest were author- 
ized to act as agents for the association as pro- 
vided for in the original articles. Among the 
original subscribers were the following: E. R. 
Everest. \V. C. Russell. Josqih Sever. \V. P. 
Stanton. Jacob .Martin. ()Ii\er Bebee, Benjamin 
Caq)enter. Joseph .\twood. Calvin Brainard, 
^^■illiam Chxnworth. Samuel Barker. M. T. 
Croode. l"rancis i'a.xon. Samuel Graves, John 
Ferdon, Electus Boardman. !•'. W. Collins, 
Samuel Brass, Henrv Wilson, Rufus Collier. 
Jr.. .Martha Osborn. \'. R. Cook. P. .\. Ford, 
Rowley and Brittan. and E. Rowley. Many of 
these names are famili.ir nnes in Clinton county 
history. 

.\t the meeting for drawing lots, after the 
agents of the association had arranged for the 
purchase of a tract in Clinton, on June 29, 1836, 
lots were drawn as follows : 



Edward l\. Everest, farm 1 
William (i. Russell, farm 
Joseph Sever, farm lots 2. 
John l*"erdon, farm lots 2. 
William Cynowirth, farm 
Benjamin Carjjenter, farm 
Samuel (iraves, farm lots 
Oliver Beljee, farm lots 2, 
Samuel Barker, farm lots 
M. R. Croode, farm lots 2, 
Tacob Martin, farm lots i. 



ots 4, village lots 12. 
lots 2, village lots 5. 

village lots 7, 
village lots 7. 
lots 2, village lots 9. 
lots 3, village lots 13. 
3, village lots 10. 
village lots 5. 
2. village lots 4. 

village lots 8. 
village lots 4. 



John lioardman. farm lots i. \illage lots 3. 
b'lectus Boardman, farm lots i, village lots 5. 
b'dwin W. Collins, farm lots i, village lots i. 
Rufus Collier. Jr., farm lots i, village lots i. 
Wan Rensselaer Cook, farm lots i. \illage lots i. 
Joseph .\twood, fami lots r. village lots i. 
W. P. and 11. .Stanton, farm lots i, village 

lots I. 
George S. Shelmire, farm lots 1, village lots i. 
Henry X. Se\er. farm lots i, village lots i. 
Samuel Brass, farm lots i. village lots 3. 
Simanous Britton. farm lots i, village lots 3. 
Martha Osborne, farm lots 1. village lots 2. 
P. .\. l-'ord and F. Bliss, farm lots i, village 

lots 2, 
Rowley and Piritton. farm lots i, village lots 2. 
Eleazer Rowley, farm lots i, village lots 3. 
Calvin Brainard, farm lots i, village lots 5. 
b'rancis Faxon, fami lots 2, \illage lots 5. 
SyKester Bliss, farm lots 2. village lots 5. 

It w ill Ix; seen from the above table that two 
thousand six hundred acres of Clinton county 
lands w ere opened to probable settlement by that 
proceeding of June 29. 1836. 

John Ferdon. Samuel Barker, whose land lay 
in Ovid township, and Oliver Beliee. were the 
first shareholders to enter upon their possessions. 
Joseph Sever and I'rancis Fa.xon followed than. 
In 1839 the list of resident ta.x-payers of the 
township of Duplain contained the names of E. 
R. E\erest. I'rancis Faxon, Oliver Beljee, 
Joseph Sever. John Copeland and Samuel 
Barker, of the Colony settlers. Of these. E. R. 
I'Aerest was a.ssessed uixin four hundrefl and 
eighty acres. 

Referring to the three commissioners or 
agents, W. G. Russell, Joseph Sever and E. R. 
Everest. ap]X)intetl liy the association on .\pril 
2. 1836. they l)eg:in operations for the selec- 
tion and i)urchase of lands for the "Colony," 
immediately and on .\pril 12, 1836, Russell and 
Sever began their journey westward. The at- 
tention of the agents had l)een directed liefore 
their de]);irture to various Icxralities. Different 
sections of Ohio and Indiana were ix)inted out 
to them as worthy of investigation. In Michi- 
gan the Cinind River region was subject to ex- 



478 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



ploration by them, as was the vicinity south of 
the present site of Grand Rapids; Ingham, 
Eaton, Barn,- and CHnton counties, together 
with the Saginaw country, were also to be in- 
vestigated 1)y these servants of the Rochester 
company. 

In May following, these agents had made 
their purchase of sections twentj^-eight, twenty- 
nine, thirty-one, thirty-two, thirty-three and the 
south-west quarter of section thirty of Duplain 
township; then known only by the terms of the 
United States survey; and sections six and 
seven of Ovid township, whose settlement has 
already been mentioned herein. The tract thus 
purchased consisted of a fraction over four 
thousand three hundred acres. The purchase 
price was $5,003.82. 

The story- of the laborious wanderings of 
these agents, and the selection of land in Clin- 
ton county, is told In' a letter written by Agent 
Russell to his colleague Everest, which was as 
follows : 

Bronson Mich.. May 11, 1S36. 

E. R. Everest : Sir : We arrived in De- 
troit Friday, 22d of April, making ten days 
from Rochester; found the roads bad. The 
Ball horse tried and we had to put him off. 
We exchanged him for a pony and paid S35. 
We stayed in Detroit until the Monday follow- 
ing; got what information we could from 
Messrs. Alcott, Ketchum, Strong and others 
that we thought advisable to inquire, and started 
on the Pontiac turnpike leading through the 
northwest part of the territory. We stopped 
and explored different sections of the country-. 
We found all the important points taken, ex- 
cepting one which lies on the Maple river. We 
spent some four days in that part. We think 
that the water privileges are good and the land 
first best. Sever and myself are much pleased 
with it, although it is timbered land. The tim- 
ber is beech, maple, hickory, oak, bass, butter- 
nut and black-walnut, and as handsome as you 
ever saw, and well watered with beautiful 
springs. There is a contemplated canal to con- 
nect the Maple and Shiawassee together near 
this place, which, if that takes place, will cause 
a great drift of business through this section 



of the countn,-, as it will save something like 
one thousand miles of water-carriage around 
the lakes. We thought best to look further, and 
went to Barry county. We went, but soon re- 
turned. Got satisfied that it was too hea\^ tim- 
bered and rough, broken land for us. We then 
made up our minds that the Maple river must 
be the place. We started riff for Bronson that 
night; rode until eleven o'clock in the evening; 
put up at a tavern, and got permission to sleep 
on the floor. Started in the morning; fell in 
company with a speculator; was satisfied that 
he was after our land. Feeling determined not 
to give it up, I changed horses with Sever, the 
other man being ahead a mile or two. I set out, 
detemiined not to loose the prize if I lost fli^ 
horse. After we got within fourteen miles of 
Bronson T had a fresh horse to contend with. 
For four or five miles I let him go ahead, until 
we got on the last ten miles to the office. I 
passed him within a few miles of the office and 
got in m}' application a few minutes before 
him, after coming ten miles in forty minutes. 
The countr}^ around this place is new, and if 
any family should leave Rochester for this, they 
had better bring everything thev want for fam- 
ily use. There is no house near. If any one 
should set off before we got home you must 
direct them from Detroit to take the road lead- 
ing northwest fiftA- miles to Grand Blanc; then 
take a west course to Mr. William's on the 
Shiawassee river, where they will get all the 
information necessan*-. W'e applied on Friday 
last, and are to have our duplicates at nine 
o'clock this morning. We are to leave this 
place for the Maple today, with Mr. Hill, to 
make the survey and lay the lots. We feel glad 
to get away. It is like town-meeting here every 
day (Sundays excepted). We shall be in 
Rochester about the middle of June probably. 
WiLLi.AM G. Russell. 

For the Colony. 
The lots for the colony were platted by Cal- 
vin G. Hill, surveyor, who was accompanied 
by .Agent Russell and Sever in the work. The 
plat of the survey was recorded October 27, 
T837. This plat was forwarded by "E. R. 
Everest, acting agent for the Rochester 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



479 



Colony." The village plat was recorded at the 
same date. ITie village survey was made by 
one Benjamin H. Brown. 

The Maple river, which crosseil section 
twenty-nine of the colony purchase in a north- 
easterly course, offered good water-power facili- 
ties, whose value to the colony was early ap- 
preciated by its agents. After the return to 
Rochester of Russell and Sever, the day after 
the meeting at which die lots were drawn, the 
compan}^ decided to sell the water-power privil- 
eges on section twenty-nine. They were de- 
sirous of having mills established there, how- 
ever, indicating again their serious intentions 
towards permanent settlements. It was esti- 
mated that there was power enough to run two 
saws and three sets of stones — the colony would 
at first neetl lumber and grist mills above all 
otlier enteqirises. W'illis Tempshall innxhased 
the site, and as part of the purchase contract. 
l)ound himself in the sum of three thousand 
dollars to have a saw-mill running with at least 
one saw within one year, and a grist mill, with 
at least one nm of stone, within two years. The 
purchase price was one thousand one hundred 
and fifteen dollars. 

In July. 1S37. John Ferdon, Oliver Bebee 
and Samuel Barker, who were subscribers to 
the articles of association at Rochester, accom- 
panied by their families and Ellen Lowe, be- 
gan the journey westward. Of their company 
of sixteen persons, ten were children. The jour- 
ney to Detroit was by the water route, and from 
that point by the customary ox-team outfits. 
They traveled the Grand River trail to a point 
north of Laingsburg. and from there ncjrth- 
ward through the wilderness. They cut a road 
of twenty miles through the forest, reaching 
their destination on July 28, 1836. 

Tliese settlers spent their first night after 
their arrival uixm the Bebee lot, locating on 
Ferdon's -lot the next day. Here they erected a 
house of logs and with lark roof and floor. 
This rude structure stood upon what is now 
Greenbush, the Ferdon lot lying to the western 
border of what is now Duplain. The Barker 
cabin on section six of Oviil. which has alread\- 
been referred to. was the next to lie built. 



Bebee's cabin was next built in Duplain, being 
the first to be erected within the Ixirders of that 
township, the first two named being in Green- 
bush and Ovid, respectively. The Barker and 
Bebee families were close neighbors as their 
cabins faced each other, one being upon the 
north border of 0\id. and the other up<in the 
south line of Duplain. The progress of the 
colony was slower than expected by its founders. 
Joseph Sever and h'rancis Faxon were the next 
to arrive. Sever bringing his family with him. 
Faxon built a cabin and made a clearing and 
returned to Rochester, arriving later with his 
family in September of 1837. David Watson, 
a blacksmith, had already joined the settlers at 
this time. On November 15, 1837, Charles 
Baldwin arrived. As has been stated. Barker, 
who had settled in Ovid, moved across the line 
in December of the same year. His short trip 
of three miles northward was full of trouble, 
requiring a whole day. In fording the river 
the wagon became disconnected and was re- 
paired only after tedious efforts by its owner. 

\Vatson, the blacksmith, began to work at 
his trade in a shop on section thirty-one in 1837. 
Oliver Beliee, one of tlie first arrivals, was a 
carpenter. Samuel Brass, a later arrival, was a 
shoemaker, and later kept a store at the Colony. 
'i'einpshall tinaljy established his saw-mill and 
grist-mill for the Colony. These mills were a 
great benefit to the community, as Ijefore their 
erection the .settlers were compelled to travel to 
Ann Arbor, Pontiac and even Detroit, with 
their grain. Edward R. Everest opened a store, 
and through his efforts a ixisioffice was es- 
tablished. Dr. William B. Watson was the 
first physician to minister to the sick of the 
colony. A Methodist exhorter named Whiting 
was a resident of the communitj*. He preached 
the funeral of Fidelia Caqjcnter. whose death 
in I1S3S was the first in the colony. 

After the Rochester colony had established 
itself, other settlers liegan to l(x-ate ujion various 
sections of the township. Duplain township 
was first called the township of Sena, and the 
following list of resident tax-jiayers shows the 
situation in 1840: 

John Burnett, colony lots 1 and 2, 160 acres. 



48o 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



Steny Lyon, colony lots 2. 80 acres. 

Sterry Lyon, section 11, 40 acres. 

Abram Becker, colony lot 21. 80 acres. 

I'rancis I'axon. colony lots if) and 34 and 
southwest quarter of section twenty-four, 320 
acres. 

Oliver Bebee, colony lots 32 and 33. t6o 
acres. 

Joseph Sever, colony lots 8 and 14. 160 acres. 

Samuel Barker, colony lot 19, 80 acres. 

(iro\e Cooper, colony lots 31 and ^2, 160 
acres. 

H. ^I. Sever, colony lot 18, 80 acres. 

Oliver Everest, colony lot 17, 80 acres. 

John Ferdon, colony lot 29, 80 acres. 

Benjamin Carpenter, colony lot 28, 80 acres. 

David Watson, colony lot 26. fr. 20 acres. 

Samuel Brass, colony lot 25. 80 acres. 

Tempshall and Se\'er, mill lot, 9 acres. 

Nathan Lowe, section 34, 160 acres. 

Charles Stevens, section 27, 80 acres. 

Sidney L. Smith, sections 2y and 2^. 240 
acres. 

R. E. Cra\-en. sections to, ii, 22, 23, 400 
acres. 

Thomas Craven, Sr., section 14. 160 acres. 

Thomas Craven, Jr., section 14, 80 acres. 

Liberty Carter, section 24, 160 acres. 

Patrick Galligan, section 12, 80 acres. 

\\'illiam B. Watson, section 2 and 21, 160 
acres. 

Chandler Coy, section 35, 80 acres. 

Benjamin Hicks, section 11, 40 acres. 

As a matter of fact. Liberty Carter did not 
actually settle upon section twenty-four until 
the spring of 1841 ; Patrick Galligan began be- 
gan his clearing about the same time on sec- 
tion twelve. 

The stor\- of further progress of the colony 
will be taken up when the history of the village 
of Mapleton is given. This village was for 
years the center of the life of the little pioneer 
comniunilw and its record is full of interesting 
items. 

.\s has Ijcen slated, the new township was 
named Sena, but this name, like that of W'an- 
dagon. was not acceptable to the people, and 
Mrs. Watson, the wife of Dr. William B. Wat- 



son, suggested the name of Duplain. which be- 
came the name of the township .March 20. 1841. 
The Maple river, it will be remembered, was 
called by the early French travelers "La Riviere 
du Plain," and doubtless the new name was sug- 
gested liy this. 

The township of Greenbush, as it e.xists at 
the i^resent time, terriers Duplain upon the east 
and Esse.x on the west, and lies in the northern 
tier cif townships of Clinton county. Its posi- 
tion, as regards the township of Duplain, and 
the fact that the Rochester colony settlers lo- 
cated themselves upon the Maple river in the 
southeastern portion of that township, accounts 
for the fact that the settlement of Greenbush 
was made at about the same time that the New- 
York colony entered the township to the east. 
On the other hand, as has been stated herein. 
Esse.x township received its first actual settlers 
upon section eight in the northwestern region 
of the township, and as this township developed, 
its settlements extended from the Maple fviver 
village southeastward. In the southern jjortion 
of the present township of Greenbush, the new- 
comers encountered a vast area of swamp and 
marsh land, which imiDeded the progress of the 
township. It has already l)een observed that 
when John I'erdon, of the Rochester associatinn, 
came with Bebee and Baker to the Rochester 
colonx" in 1S36. he built his cabin across the 
line in (ireenbush township on section thirty-six. 
Ferdon's land lay in both townships. Ferdon's 
residence upon his land in Greenbu.sh was 
marked b\' experiences incident to pioneer life 
in a wilderness. This sturdy pioneer earned 
a reputation in his day as a great bear hunter. 
One story relates that in 1847 Ferdon killed 
nine bears aided only by a club and his hunting 
dog. It is also stated that Mr. Ferdon brought 
a stock of goods with him from the city of 
Rochester to his Clinton county home. It was 
his iH>licy and practice to employ as many men 
as possible in clearing his lands, he having ac- 
ipiired a considerable acreage since his arrival 
in the count}-. From his cabin store-house in 
Greenbu.sh, he distributed sujiplies to the men 
in his employ, and thus disposed of his stock 
of goods. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



481 



When Stephen Pearl came to Ovid in iS^j. 
Samuel Kowell acaimpanicd him and remained 
for a time at the Ixiunslniry residence in Ovid 
township. I^ter he purchased thirty acres of 
land of John I-'erdon on section thirty-si.x and 
took up his residence. It may he stated tiiat 
Mr. Rowell lived upon this place until 1876 
and tliat his son, Stephen, still resides upon the 
homestead. In 1838, David Richmond and 
Thomas Fisk came to Michig^an from Stafford. 
Xew York, for the purpose of locatinjj" land 
for themselves and friends living at the .same 
place. Xot desiring to purchase from s|iecu- 
lators. they finally determined to locate uix)n 
land of sections twenty-two. twenty-three and 
twenty-se\'en of what is now Greenhush town- 
shi]). These sections, it will lie noted, lay near 
the center of the township, and were at this 
early date, isolated from all other Clinton 
county settlements. .Mthough the tract was 
Ijordered upon tliree sides 1)V swam])s almost 
im])enetral)le. nexertheless. these parties at once 
todk step> to secure the title. They thereupon 
retunu'i] to Stafford. Xew \i>rk. where it was 
arranged among those who contemplated mov- 
ing to this wilderness, that Thomas h'isk and 
others slundd return to Greenbu.sh and make 
preparations, huild cabins and commence clear- 
ings. In .\pril. 1839, Thomas I'isk. G. \V. 
Reed. Ora V>. Styles. James Styles. Jr.. and 
Henrv I'i.sk. began their journey. They traveled 
the entire distance bv ox teams by way of 
Canada, .\fter their arri\al the tedious work 
of erecting cabins and making clearings beg;m. 
Before their first cabin was completed, the 
families of David Levy. W. X. Daggett. James 
Styles and Thomas Fisk arrived. This group 
had come by the water route, by Detroit, and 
had traveled over the Grand river road by teani< 
to a ]X)int near l,aingsbiu"g. and from there they 
followed the path made by the Dexter colony 
settlers, and reached John Ferdon's place in 
May. 1839. .\ few days later, this community 
was reinff)rced by David Richmond and Alvah 
Richmond and their families. 

It must be rememl)ered that the rmite from 
the Ferdon settlement to the l*"isk settlement in 
Greenbush was a most difficult one to travel. 



.\s has been said, "the better ])arl of that two 
miles or more, lay through a dismal swamp." 
This region could not be traveled by teams, and 
to cross it (.n foot was a most perilous under- 
taking fur the settlers, and it was with great 
difficulty that the household goods and supplies 
I if these newcomers were transferred from Fer- 
don's place to the interior. Their cook-stoves 
caused these pioneers all sorts of troul)le, this 
p'lrtv fortunate! V ])ossessing fmu" of these neces- 
sary articles. 

.\fter the cabins had been Innlt and the set- 
tlers with their families located, the work of 
clearing l)egan in earnest. Tlie Richmonds 
owned tw(i teams of horses and Thomas Fisk 
one team of oxen. The horse teams were used 
in hauling the goods of the settlers from De- 
troit to the edge of the great swamp. The 
difficulties in crossing the swamp being of such 
serious ])roportions. this team was compelled 
to make a trip of twenty-two miles by a cir- 
cuitous route through the townshi]) of Essex to 
the settlement, in order to avoicl its jjerils. Be- 
cause lit the isolated situation of this settlement, 
the work of making roads, iiermitting com- 
munication with the colony settlement was the 
first inipnrtant undertaking. A foot-path was 
made across the swamp, which was available 
during the summer season, and when winter 
came this route was travelefl with teams. A 
highway was cut from the southeastern corner 
of section twenty-two westwanl. for a distance 
of two miles. For their first .grist, they hmght 
wheat of Benedict, the Es.sex pioneer, and were 
comjjelled to go to Ionia to have their grists 
ground. ihc first trip made was by David 
Levy, who cmi)loyed an Indian t<> manage the 
canoe, the journey being luade merland to the 
Maple Rapids .settlement, and fmm there by 
uav of the Ma])le river, .\lvah Richmond went 
to luill at Eaton Ra])ids in 1839 with an ox 
team. 

The progress of this settlement was neces- 
sarily slow, i'or years there was no black- 
smith in the community and many journeys 
were made by these settlers to DeWitt. .\ 
IKistciffice was established in 1843. Before that 
time these pioneers received their mail at 



482 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



Owosso and Laingsburg. It will be remem- 
bered that a grist mill was established at the 
colony at an early date, and the first contribu- 
tion this mill received from the Greenbush set- 
tlement, was that of a single bushel of wheat 
carried by Henry Fisk across the dismal swamp. 
In the autumn of 1839, Nathan Sjxjoner, Tru- 
man Watson and Moses Philips came to the 
Greenbush settlement, and John Avery and 
Horace .Avery, together with Herod and Runa 
Morton and Marvin Greenwood, established 
themselves in the southwestern part of the town- 
ship, and Edwin Holbrook located on section 
thirty-six. In the fall of 1840, the north- 
eastern part of the township received a settler 
in the person of John I. Tinkelpaugh, who set- 
tled near the site of Eureka village. Joseph 
Russell, one of the early Bingham pioneers, re- 
moved to Greenbush in 1841, and was joined 
in 1842 by his son, William, and in 1843 b}' 
his son James. In 1852 James Russell, the 
pioneer, was accidentally shot by his son, 
Natlianiel. 

In 1849 ^ part}- of ten men. the possessors 
of Mexican war land warrants, started from 
Ohio to locate lands in Michigan. George 
Wagner of the party was the only Mexican war 
veteran of the group, the rest of the party hav- 
ing acquired their land warrants by purchase. 
But three of this party had horses, and the re- 
maining sex-en made the entire journey of three 
hundred miles each way on foot. Nine of this 
IKU't}- bought lands in Greenbush and made set- 
tlements thereiin, one of the ten settling in 
Essex. Henry Smith, of this group, built his 
house on section nine in November, 1849. At 
this time, as Smith himself stated, there was 
no house between himself and Mackinac. In 
1850, section seventeen, then a wilderness, was 
invaded by William Thomas. On the line of 
the township on section five. Nathan Russell 
built a cabin, the first one erected in this re- 
gion. In 1852 Benjamin Doty settled upon 
the Russell tract with his family. This loca- 
tion was absolutely devoid of roads and was a 
most desolate one. At the same time, J. W, 
Bryant located upon section six, and thus 
gradually, one by one, the list of settlers in- 



creased, and by their combined efforts roadways 
were opened and communication established 
with other sections. 

In the month of May, 1833, Judge Samuel 
W. De.xter, after a tedious journey through 
Oakland and Shiawassee counties, along the 
Pontiac and Grand River route, invaded the 
Clinton county wilderness. The Dexter colony 
which traveled this route, consisted of sixty- 
three persons, being made up of several families. 
They tra\eled by means of wagons and brought 
with them oxen, cattle, swine and other domestic 
animals preparatory to founding a settlement. 
Guided by B. O. W'illiams, of the Shiawassee 
trading post to the Indian village of DeW'itt, 
they there enlisted the services of Mackatapen- 
ace, the son of a Saginaw chief. From DeWitt 
the party took a northwestern course through 
the territoiy of what are now Riley, Bengal 
and Dallas townships, and from there along 
the south bank of Stony creek to Ionia county. 
.\s has been already told in this narrative, on 
section thirtyone of Bengal, on the farm of 
Judge Cortland Hill, a child nf Judge Dexter 
was buried. 

The route opened 1)_\- the Dexter colony Ije- 
tween DeWitt and Lyons, in Ionia county, was 
thereafter known as the "Dexter Trail," and 
was an important route of traxel for several 
vears. Cortland and Lucinda Hill, husband 
and wife, of Cortland county. New- York, were 
the first settlers in the township, locating on a 
one-hundred-and-sixty-acre tract on section 
thirty-one. The route follijwed by these 
pioneers from their New York residence was as 
follows : From Syracuse by canal-boat to Buf- 
falo, from there by steamboat to Detroit ; in 
Detroit two teams were hired at an expense 
of one hundred dollars to move them and their 
household goods from Detroit to Scott's place 
at the present site of DeWitt. Two Ionia par- 
ties, who h;i(I entered one hundretl and si.xty 
acres of land on section thirty-one in Bengal, 
met .Mr. Hill at this point, and he purchased 
this land from them at two dollars per acre. 
iuigaging the sen-ices of a woodman to precede 
him and construct a log cabin, the Hills ob- 
tained the services of ox-teams and wagons be- 



t 

1 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



483 



longing- to Captain Scott, antl thus transport 
their goods and chattels to their wilderness 
home. In reaching their destination they 
traveled the state road and the Dexter trail, 
which was barely passable for wagons. They 
reached their log cabin in the wilderness on 
the 26th day of September, 1837. Tiiis struc- 
ture was eighteen feet in length by fourteen feet 
in width. The floor was of white ash. They 
had fortunately brought with them a window 
sash and glass, which was at once made a part 
of their cabin. The boards from the boxes in 
which their gixuls had lieen carried were 
utilized in making the door. Having brought 
a cook-stove with them, the customary fire-place 
was not made. Two years later they built a 
more commodious log house. Cortland Mill ar- 
rived on section thirty-one upwards of four 
years after the Dexter colon v of pioneers had 
pas.sed through Bengal township. The grave 
of the ])ioneer's child, who was buried upon sec- 
tion thirt}--oiie, ujxni w hat was now the property 
of Mr. Hill, could l)e oli.served by the new set- 
tlers. In order to protect it from the wolves, 
a pen of logs had Iieen built around and over 
the little mound, and for years after Mr. Hill's 
arrival the burial spot had not been violated. 

B. O. Williams, the trader, has left the fol- 
lowing account of that incident. ".-\t that ix)int 
(Muskrat Creek), a son of Mr. and Mrs. Dex- 
ter, a child alx>ut two years old, died of scarlet 
fever. We buried the child by torch and can- 
dle light in a box improvised by the party, f 
shall ne\er forget that scene; the whole fam- 
ily, and most, if not all others, in tears; the 
gray-haired sire, after inviting the heads of 
other families to lead the exercises of the 
mournful occasion, with tears streaming down 
his cheeks, read a burial service amid sobs that 
nearly drowned his voice, in that deep, dark 
forest, the gloomiest spot of the whole route." 

The struggle l)egan in earnest. The soil of 
Bengal, although extremely fertile, was very 
heavily timbered, and at this time the Hill set- 
tlement was absolutely isolated. The forests 
were full of wolves and other enemies of the 
settlers, and their presence made the work of 
rearing domestic animals more than difficult. 



As has l^een seen, land in Bengal townsbi]) was 
of little value at this time, for there were few 
buyers, and from 1837 to as late as 1850, Ben- 
gal was considered the wilderness of Clinton 
county. Clinton J. Hill was born on the Hill 
homestead in 1838. iu the fail of the year 
following the arrival of the Hills, William 
Drake and family established themselves on 
the west one-half of the west one-half of sec- 
tiou thirty, to tlie ncirtli of the Hill settlement, 
in 1837 .Vdam Laugblin, who came from Ash- 
tal)ula couiUy, Oiiio. in 1836, settled in Oak- 
land county, Michigan, purchased from David 
F. Farley the east iialf of the northeast one- 
quarter of section twenty-six of Bengal. In 
order to make a payment on his purchase, he 
agreed to clear ten acres for Farley on the 
same section and began his work in the winter 
of 1837. The first thing he did was to fell a 
large beech tree, which stoid on the corner of 
his tract. Using tiiis as a back-log for his 
campfire, he remained in the open air three 
nights, being engaged during the day-time in 
erecting a log cabin on the land he was to make 
the clearing upon. He completed his work and 
returned to Oakland Count)-, and in Jaiuian- 
of 1840 returned with his family to Bengal 
town.shi]). and took up his residence in the 
cabin he had constructed three \ears before. 
In the following spring he built another house. 
Charles Grant, once of Wyoming County, 
New York, came to Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 
1836, and from there proceeded to Mason, 
Ingham County, where he erected the fivst 
saw-mill at that point ; then to Lyons, Ionia 
County, where he helped to Ijuild the first 
bridge across the C.rand River at that place. 
He then returned to his native county in New 
York and returned, bringing his wife, to Lyons 
in 1838, and there remaining until 1840, when 
he settled on the south one-half of the north- 
east quarter of section four in Bengal, several 
miles north of the Hill settlement. He built a 
frame house, which was the first of its kind in 
the township. In 1849 he moved to the south 
half of the north-west quarter of section three, 
taking his frame house apart and moving it to 
his new location. There were no roads leading 



4^4 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



to this part of Bengal at that time, and this 
pioneer traveled by a blazed trail. This pio- 
neer was a veteran of the war of 1812. 

Miner R. Frink. one of the Bengal pioneers 
living at the present time, settled on section 
three of that township in 184 1. His first 
dwelling house was built of split logs, covered 
with a board roof. Jonathan Young ar- 
ri\ed in Wayne County from Yorkshire, Eng- 
land, in 1834. Here he married Mrs. Hannah 
Green, who had on May 12, 1837. entered 
two himdred acres of land imi section three of 
Bengal. In 1841 Mr, and Mrs. Young settled 
upon this tract. In October of 1842, Ira S. 
Thornton and family moved from Oakland 
County to sections twenty-four and twenty- 
five in Bengal. During the same year Lyman 
Swagart, of Broome county, Xew York, settled 
on section twenty-eight. Benjamin F. Knee- 
land and wife came t(j section three in Bengal 
from Genesee count)', Xew York, in the fall of 
1843. Their first house was considered at that 
time to be a fine structure. It was Iniilt oi 
hewed logs and had a shingle nxjf, matched 
floors, brick cbimnevs and paneled doors, and 
was lighted by windows. The first steam saw 
mil! in the township was put in operation bv 
Mr. Kneeland in 1856. 

Harrison Sutton arrived on section twent\ - 
one in Bengal in 1846, and the next year .\n- 
drew Weller moved with his family from 
Geneseo, New York, and settled on section 
two in the month of October. 

The first post-ofifice established in Bengal 
was in 1850 with Cortland Hill as postmaster. 
The first highw-ay through the town.ship was 
the DeWitt and Lyons road, following 
substantially the De.xter trail, made in 
1833, which entered the township on sec- 
tion thirty-one. The swift progress of 
this township, considering the situation at 
the time of its .settlement, has been re- 
markable. In 1847. tlie numlier of inhabit- 
ants was only fort}--nine; in 1854 it had three 
hundred and fifty: in i860 the numljer had in- 
creased to six hundred and thirty-eight; there 
being one hundred tvvent\--nine families : one 
hundred forty-eight dwellings and ninety-nine 



occupied farms: in 1864 there were seven hun- 
dred six inhabitants: in 1870 one thousand 
eighty-six: in 1880 one thousand two hundred 
ninety-five : and at the present date this town- 
ship is thoroughly developed, and is one of the 
most ixjpulous, productive and pri>si)erous sec- 
tions of the county. 

We now return to the southeastern part of 
Clinton County. The settlements respectively 
of the region now known as the township of 
DeWitt in 1833, of Eagle in 1834, of Water- 
town in 1835, and of Bath in 1836, have al- 
ready been noted. In the summer of 1836, be- 
fore Ira Cushman hatl brought his familv to 
the township of Bath, Welcome J. Partelo had 
begun a clearing njxm section thirtv-one in the 
southwest portion of what is now N'ictor town- 
ship. This locality contains some lowlands and 
marsh areas on the west, and a few areas of 
billy .surface in the east. Generally sjieaking, 
the soil of this region is exceptionally produc- 
tive. The Looking Glass in its westward course 
runs through tlie southern part of the town- 
ship. In the early days, oak openings alxiunded 
in this section of the countv. .As has been said, 
A\'. J. Partelo moved into this country in the 
summer of 1836. which was then a part of the 
township of DeWitt. This pioneer suffered 
the misfortune of Kxrating upon the land of 
another instead of his own. Howe\er, he was 
able to adju.st the matter with the owner of the 
proj^erty he had improved. Following Part- 
elo, Robert G. McKee, who had in 1836 lo- 
cated land upon sections twenty-five, thirty- 
five and thirty-six of this township, made a 
settlement in 1837, and began his im])rove- 
ments. Mr. McKee was subsec|uently promi- 
nent in the affairs of Clinton County. This ]>io- 
neer came from sturclv Vermont stock. .At 
the time mentioned, he was unmarried. He 
was a sun-eyor by profession and followed this 
]iursuit after kxating in Clinton County. In 
June, \i^_^j. William Swarthout, John Parker 
and Jesse Jamison, came to Victor. Swarth- 
out's land was located on section twenty-three. 
These pioneers, accompanied by their families, 
reached Detroit from Seneca County, New 
A'ork. The heads of the respective families, leav- 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



485 



ing the women and cliildrcn hehiml, innNed "W 
from that i)oiiu to section twenty-tliree of Vic- 
tor. Swarthout's two sons. Isaac \'. and Lay- 
ton, were inclnded in the g;rou]). I'y their 
joint labors, a cal)in was erected u])on section 
twent\-three. when Swarthoiit rctnrned to De- 
troit and brought to \'ictor the fainihes whom 
these pioneers had left Ijehind. .\fter their ar- 
rival, a house was built tor liie Parker taniilx- 
on section fourteen; tinall}' Jamison had a 
shanty preparecl on section twenty-two. 

As has been stated, R. G. McKee was a sur- 
veyor, and his wanderings alxjut the new c kv 
try in following his vocation, brought him in 
familiar relations with the Indian inhabitants 
of Clinton and adjoining counties, and was 
esteemed by them as their friend and l>ene- 
factor. Jamison, who settled upon section 
twenty-two, was a blacksmith, and stwn ac- 
((uired an excellent rqnitation among the set- 
tlements. His ser\-ices were invaluable to the 
pioneer fanners who needed plow-jxiints re- 
l)laced and rude implements repaired. Moses 
Smith, a blacksmith, .soon built a sho]) on sec- 
tion two, and later one was opened at Round 
Lake by John Runciman. 

In the fall of 1838. William W. Upton and 
James L'pton entered upon section ten, put in 
four acres of wheat, and began the building of 
a log house. After this .small improvement, the 
L^ptons returned to the East, the f(irmer suh- 
se(|uently returning to Victor. In the month 
of Februar)-. 1839. D. H, Blood, with his fam- 
ily. t(X)k possession of the claim on the Upton 
land and began a clearing on section thirteen. 
This settler for the first, was forced to go to 
Shiawasseetown to the grist mill, after first 
going to Scott's place at DeWitt and obtaining 
his grist, the time required being at least three 
days. 

In 1838 Jo.seph Simpson l)egan a clearing 
upon the land of D. T. Cotes, on section four- 
teen. Cotes aided in the clearing of a three- 
acre field and then returned to the East, re- 
turning to Victor and settling there in 1841 
John Runciman. who opened a black.smith 
shop on section twenty-eight on the Cirand 
River road, soon grew discourage<l and re- 



turned to .\'i-\\ ^l.^k. lie sold his \'ictor pro])- 
erty to julin .Miller, who beheld his purchase 
for the first time in 1844. To his disa])point- 
ment he found no clearing at all, instead of tho 
fifteen-acre improvement which had been 
l)romised to him. He found the log cabin on 
the place totall}- until for habitation and was 
compelled to seek shelter Ijeneath the roof of 
Walter I.aing, a son of Dr. Peter I.aing, the 
Laingsburg pioneer. The Jamison settlement 
was two and one-half miles northeast, and 
that of R. (1. McKec, three miles east of the 
.Miller cabin. The difiiailties which the pio- 
neers encountered are illustrated by the ex- 
l)eriences of the Miller family. On more than 
one occasion the head of this household found 
it necessar)' to walk to the cabins of his dis- 
tant neighlx)rs to obtain firebrands for the 
purpose of renewing his own fire. Later, after 
making these journeys until his patience was 
.sorely tried, he made a diligent search about 
the premises and found a piece of flint. That 
this section of the c<)unty was at that time ex- 
tremely wild, is witnessed by the fact that 
Miller an<l his neighlxirs had more than one 
encounter with wild animals that inhabited tlie 
surrounding forests. The year 1843 was a 
period of severe trial to many of the settlers. 
The settlements had l)ecome as yet scarcely 
self-sujjporting. The hard winter before had 
ren<lered the conditions more exacting and pri- 
vation and suffering alxnnuleil. 

Joseph Hollister became a resident of \"ic- 
tor in 184 1, and several years later, in 1S47. 
his brother. Dr. Isaac F. Hollister. settled in 
the township and l)ecanie the first physician to 
kxate in Victor. Dr. .\aron McKee was the 
second physician to practice his profession in 
this township, arriving there in i860. 

In 1839. Victor's tax-roll contained the fol- 
lowing names : 

Thomas Cross, section 2. 147 acres. 

Hugh Haggerty. section 11. 160 acres. 

K. Ci. McKee. sections 25. 26. 35. 36. j~~, 
acres. 

Joseph Hollister, sections 7,^. 36. 160 acres. 

C. Davis, section jj. 80 acres. 

R. Finch, sections 36, 160 acres. 



486 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



Jesse Jamison, section 22. 80 acres. 

John Parker, section 14, 80 acres. 

W. J. Partelo, section 31, 245 acres. 

Joseph Simpson, sections 13 and 14. 100 
acres. 

Until 1843. Victor township was included 
witii that of Bath, within tlie Hmits of Ossowo 
township. When \'ictor township was set 
apart 1)\- legislative act, the first town-meeting 
was held "at the school house near Daniel 
Blood's," quoting from the enactment. \V. 
W. Upton and Daniel Blood had migrated to 
this locality from Victor in New York. and. 
as one would expect, at their suggestion this 
new township was named Victor. 

Until July ist, 1847, the Victor settlers 
went to Laingsburg for their mail. In 1846 
Henry Post was instrumental in presenting a 
petition to the post-office department at Wash- 
ington, praying for the establishment of a mail 
route between Owosso and Ionia, by way of 
the state road. In July of the next year the 
route was opened, and Victor has its first post- 
master in the person of Hugh Haggerty. The 
Gear}- post-ofifice was opened in 1857, the name 
being suggested In- an admirer of Governor 
Gear}', of Kansas. 

For many years the Grand River road was 
the important highway of this part of Clinton 
Count}-, and to the present this road exists, 
having been modified in its course from time 
to time as the convenience of the residents has 
demanded. The first school house where the 
Victor children were taught the three "R's" 
was a cabin built of bass-wood logs on the 
Swarthout farm in Ovid, in 1839. The first 
school-house to be erected within Victor's lim- 
its was built upon section thirteen in 1840. 
Phoebe Laing teing the first teacher. At the 
town-meeting referred to, after some discus- 
sion, the taxpayers voted to raise a school tax 
of one dollar for each pupil between the ages 
of four and eighteen, the fund so provided to 
be used towards the payment of teachers. 

Joseph Hollister, who was named above as 
one of the Victor pioneers, was a lineal de- 
scendant of Isaac Treat, once Governor of 
Connecticut. Dr. Isaac Hollister. who was the 



second physician to practice his profession in 
that portion of Clinton County, was a man of 
unusual abilities, and w-as prominent in public 
affairs, representing his district in the state 
senate in 1856. James Upton, who came to 
Clinton county from Ontario county, New 
York, was bom in Massachusetts. Elias Up- 
ton, his father, was enlisted in the defense of 
Boston in the war of 1812; the family was of 
Revolutionary stock, as was the Hollister fam- 
ily. Ainsworth Reed, another Victor pioneer, 
first saw light in Massachusetts. His father, 
Nathan Reed, was also a hero of the Revolu- 
tion. The McKees were of Scotch origin and 
hailed from the Green Mountain State. The 
Parker family, who settled in Victor at an 
early date, were natives of New York; in 1845 
Jfihn C. Bnmson came to Victor from New 
York. His paternal and maternal grandfathers. 
.-Vmos Brunson and Benjamin Gass, took part 
in the war between the Colonies and mother 
England. Of Massachusetts origin, Mr. Brun- 
sons' ancestry can be traced to the Mayflower. 
These few instances may serve to indicate how 
the historic life of Clinton is linked to that of 
New England and serve to explain the facilit}- 
and aptitude by which the independent, self- 
governing, resourceful and courageous pio- 
neers from the East adapted themselves to the 
new life and established in this wilderness the 
educational, religious and civil institutions 
known by them before they came. 

The pioneer history of Olive township dif- 
fers from that of other settlements in Clinton 
Count}-. It has no villages, nor has but one 
post-oflfice been established within its borders. 
In the United States survey, this township is 
known as town six north of range one west. 
Tliis region once contained considerable marsh 
and swamp areas, but the soil is unusually pro- 
ductive and the farms thereof generally in a 
high state of cultivation. The first pioneers 
from the East to settle in Olive selected land 
in the northern portion of the township on 
sections five, six, seven, nine and ten. This 
township was named Olive at the meeting of 
the residents thereof when steps were taken to 
secure a township organization separate from 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



487 



that of DeWitt. Tlie Merrihcws lia\ iug come 
from Olive in New York, having the advan- 
tage of numbers, at this meeting, were able to 
control this matter against the desire of 
Orange Ferguson, at whose house the meet- 
ing was held, who asked that the new township 
Ik- named in honor of his daughter. The town- 
ship of Olive was incorporated by act ni the 
legislature in 1841. 

The first settlers of Olive traveled consid- 
erahl\ through Michigan before choosing their 
IcK-ation. In October of 1836. Peter Merri- 
hew. and Adam Merrihew and John W. Merri- 
hew. his sons, reached DeW'itt village from 
where they were guided through what is now 
Olive township. These land-seekers located 
eleven eighty-acre parcels upon the sections 
above indicated. The families did not arrive 
in Michigan until November. 1836, when they 
reached Livingston County from Ulster 
County, New York. Ephraim Merrihew, also 
a son of Peter Merrihew. came also, with his 
family and was the first to l>egin operations in 
Olive, having entered upon section five in Jan- 
uary, 1837. Later, in June, 1837, John W. 
Merrihew built his house on section five; at 
some time during the following month Peter 
Merrihew and his son Adam settled in the 
township, the former on section five and the 
latter on section seven. In 1838 another son. 
Benjamin Merrihew, arrived and opened the 
first blacksmith shop in Ohve on section seven. 
Nehemiah Merrihew, the fifth son. subse- 
quietly settled on section eight. .A.fter enu- 
merating the above named members o the 
Merrihew colony, it is readily understood how 
the Merrihew votes controlled in the matter of 
naming the township. 

Orange Ferguson also came to Olive in Jan- 
uary. 1837, and located upon section eighteen 
near Muskrat Lake. This pioneer constructed 
the first saw-mill ever built in this townshiji 
in 1843. It was made of hewn logs, the iron 
materials used in its constniction being 
brought from Detroit. 

In 1835 Alexander Calder purchased land 
of Captain Scott. DeWitt's landlord, on sec- 
tion thirty-one of Olive. He brought his fam- 

31 



ily to DeWitl in the month c)l May. 1836, 
where he was employed by Captain Scott for 
one year. In May of 1837, he established him- 
self upon his land in Olive, being the first set- 
tler to locate in the southwest of that town- 
shi]). Atwell .Simmons settled north of what 
is now tlie DeWitt-Oiive town line on section 
thirty, in 1837. at least he began a clearing 
there, and in 1838 sowed three and one-half 
acres of wheat. It is said that he harvested 
one hundred twenty-si.\ bushels as a result of 
this effort. 

A son-in-law of Peter Merrihew, Peter En- 
nest, having pre\-iously selected his location on 
section ten, settled in Olive in 1838, his brother 
James accompanying him and locating on sec- 
tion five. The next year, 1839, Daniel Fer- 
guson, a brother of the alx)ve named pioneer, 
settled on section seventeen. This pioneer, as 
will be seen, was county treasurer of Clinton 
for one term. During the same year other set- 
tlers from New York founded homes in this 
township. One of these, Nathan Smith, set- 
tled south of the Orange Ferguson place, upon 
the road which was then being opened from 
DeWitt to Rochester Colony. David G. Wil- 
sey settled on section twenty-six. in the year 
1839. Lucius Gillett arrived in Olive town- 
ship in 1840. when he located on section three. 
(iillett claimed to have been the first settler to 
locate on the site of the city of Jackson. Some 
iilea of the progress of settlement in Olive may 
be obtained by the following list of tax-paying 
residents of the township for 1841 : 

Hiram Burgess, section i. 1 10 acres. 

Lucius Gillett. section 3. 120 acres. 

Peter Ennest. section 10. 80 acres. 

John M. Merrihew. sections 9 and 10. 160 
acres. 

Peter Merrihew. sections 4 and 5. 270 
acres. 

George .\. Merrihew, section 8, 120 acres. 

E. S. Merrihew. section 8. 120 acres. 

Benjamin Merrihew. section 7. 80 acres. 

Isaac L. Austin, section 5. 50 acres. 

Ransom Reed, section 7. 232 acres. 

Orange Ferguson, sections 7, 8 and 18, 238 
acres. 



488 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



Daniel l'"erg"uson, sections 17 and 18. 120 
acres. 

H. S. Green, sections 5, 8 and 17. 260 acres. 

James Ennest. section 17. 60 acres. 

Harvey Alexander, section 31, 160 acres. 

Nathaniel Mocjn. section 7,2, 80 acres. 

George Kinney, section 32, 80 acres. 

Nathan Smith, section 20, 120 acres. 

Alexander Calder. sections 31 and 32. 120 
acres. 

Henry Lents, section 20, 40 acres. 

Hopkins Lents, section 20. 50 acres. 

David G. Wilsey. section 26. 120 acres. 

Peter Lents, section 20. 30 acres. 

It will be noticed that at this date Init fdur- 
teen out of the thirty-six sections of the town- 
ship were settled. There were other residents 
of the tDwnshi]) in 1S41 who had not purchased 
land for themselves, or who were not counted 
as resident tax-payers. There was always 
more or less movement to and from these set- 
tlements, even during the pioneer period. Li 
1844. the number of voters of 01i\e was fort_\- 
— 1>eing seventeen residents in excess of the 
number of resident tax-payers referred to. 

Li 18^2 section thirtv-two received anothc 
family, that of William Dills. R. W. Holly 
also located on section twenty-six in 1852. The 
number steadily increased and the township 
prospered accordingly. Olive was not behind 
the other settlements in the matter of provid- 
ing public schools, thus perpetuating the policy 
of general education adopted by the New Eng- 
land colonists at an early date. The Merri- 
hew settlement soon had its school, taught 
probably by a daughter of Harvey .Alexander, 
who resided on section thirty-one. In a log- 
cabin built by Ransom Reed near the Ferguson 
settlement. Mary Smith, a daughter of Nathan 
Smith, conducted a "subscription school" as 
earlv as 1840. In 184 1 steps w^ere taken to 
organize the township into school districts. 

Pioneer life in Olive had its diffiadties and 
hardships. The settlers were often compelled 
to go to Detroit for supplies. On some occa- 
sions flour was obtained at Northville. The 
grist mill at DeWitt was erected in 1844. and 
bettered conditions for the Olive settlers. The 



mill at Rochester Colony was also patronized 
by them. The grist-mill at Owosso was visiteil 
Ijy Pioneer Wilsey. who found the trip of 
fifty miles very tedious. In 1838 Benjamin 
Merrihew walked to Northville in Wayne 
County to procure flour for the settlement. 
There he secured twelve barrels of that com- 
modity and hired a team to deliver it at De- 
Witt. The price of transportaticin was two 
dollars per barrel, the distance being eightv 
miles. The flour cost the settlers fourteen dol- 
lars ])cr barrel at DeWitt. from which point it 
was hauled to the Olive settlers by ox-teams. 
The wonder is that these settlers could remain 
upon their lands at all under such btu-dens and 
discouragements as beset them. 

In 1833 the De\\'itt-St. Johns highway was 
()])ened to Lansing as a stage and mail route 
from St. Johns to Lansing through DeWitt. 
Taverns soon were built along this nuich trav- 
eled route. Myron Wolcott's taxern called 
"The Half-Way House" stood half-wa\- be- 
tween St. John's and DeWitt. Later a l)etter 
structin"e was built on section seventeen. 
Orange Ferguson likewise o|>cned a ijublic 
lionsc at Muskrat Lake. St)uth of Wolcott's 
place, a Frenchman. J. P. Russell, conducted 
"The Traxeler's Home." John Huit's "brew- 
ery" was near by. John Norris was the 
first post-master to handle the mail in Olive. 
After the Detroit and Milwaukee reached St. 
Johns, the mail route along this highway was 
soon discontinued and the sole post-office in 
Olive w^as of the past. 

Riley township was formerl_\- a part of 
\^'atertoW'■n. In 1841 it was given a separate 
existence. The first survey of the township 
was made in 1826 by Lucius Lyon, and the 
sulidivision lines were run by Hervey Parks 
and certified to by him on Februar\- 12th, 
1827. The soil of this area is of the most fer- 
tile variety, and today some of the most beau- 
tiful and ])roductive farming lands of Clinton 
County are to be seen within the borders of 
this to\vnship. In its ])rimitive state. Riley 
was covered by forests of unusual density, and 
the task of clearing this land for cultivation 
was unusuallv arduous. The Dexter Trail, to 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



48^ 



which reference lias been made lieretoti>re, ran 
tlirough the Riley country, from the southeast 
corner of section thirty-five in a nortiiwestern 
direction through sections thirty-five and 
twenty-six, and from there through sections 
twentv-two and sixteen, through section eight 
to the southwest corner of section five, through 
the northeast corner of section six. joining the 
state road as it now extends through section 
thirty-one of Bengal township. This trail di- 
agonallv crossed the townslii]i from southeast 
to northwest. Riley lands were subjects of 
speculation as was true of the other townships 
of the county. 

Atwell Simmons. ha\ing first settled in 
Washtenaw County from New York, piu- 
cha.sed a parcel of land in Riley at the Kala 
mazoo Land Otifice. July 20th. 183 J. .\fter a 
journey of nearly a week, begun in November 
of 1836. this ])ioneer and his family traveling 
1)\- o.x-team and w;igon. reacheil DeW itt. 
where they were sheltered at the hospitable 
cabin of a DeW'itt resident, while their four- 
teen l)y sixteen log house was being built. Sim- 
mons began at once the work <if making a 
clearing, having nearly seven acres of his farm 
ready for crops by the fallowing spring of 
1837. His first crop was oats and rutabagas, 
hardly sufficient to supply a family with the 
necessities for one year. In the fall of 1837. 
Simmons sowed his first field of wheat, the 
usual three and one-half acres. Nearly one 
hundred twenty bushels were harvested from 
this crop, sown as it was on land liut meagrely 
prepared, cut by sickle and threshed by the 
oxen. This pioneer staid liy his undertaking 
and succeeded in making a comfortable home 
and a |)rrKluctive farm. Mr. Simmons, as 
shown by the tax records of 1841. held one 
hundred sixty acres of land on sections twenty- 
five and thirty. 

Reference has been made to Morris Bough- 
ton, who came from Elmira. New \'ork. in 
1836. with Benjamin Welch, who located in 
Dallas. Boughton's land was on section seven 
of Riley, the records of 184 1 intlicating that 
he owned a tract of one hundred sixty acres. 
During tlie winter of 1836 he worked at mak- 



ing a clearing, and lieing unmarried, boarded 
at Cortland Hill's place in Bengal, it is said, 
which statement, if true, either makes Cortland 
Hill a .settler in P.engal in September of 1836. 
or Boughton in Riley, in 1837. It is probably 
true that Boughton lived at the Hill place in 
the winter of 1837. having entered the coimtv 
in November of 1836. iMiially our bachelor 
pioneer l)uilt his cabin and tjecame a settler in 
earnest. His famous kettle served as his sole 
cooking utensil. Two years later. William 
Hayes and his wife, who was Boughton's sis- 
ter, came to the county and took their resi- 
dence at Boughton's cabin. For a time the 
grist-mill at Ionia was the one nearest to the 
Boughton place. On several occasions he 
hauled his wheat to the Detroit market and 
sold it for fifty cents per bushel. Boughton re- 
turned to his native state in 1843 and was mar- 
ried to Lucretia Culver, and returning to Riley 
with his wife, remained an infiuential and re- 
spected citizen to the day of his death in 1876. 

In 1 84 1 Philij) P. Peck, with his family, and 
John (iuuii. .Mis. Peck's father, ended their 
journey from Tecumseh at Boughton's clear- 
ing. The cabin first built by Boughton, he 
having later erected a more comfortable one. 
was at once utilized by these new-comers. Peck 
worked some of Boughton's land for a time 
initil he could make a clearing on his own 
which lay near. Finally he built a cabin six- 
teen by twenty feet in dimensions, having a 
"shake roof," a floor of split timber hewn to a 
rude smoothness, and a fire-place made with a 
back and hearth of clay and a chimnev of 
sticks plastered with clay. In 1844 Peck i)re- 
pared to build a frame barn by hauling lumber 
from the [""erguson saw-mill at Muskrat Lake 
on sleighs, the route being marked by blazed 
trees. The carpenter who did the building was 
paid in ma])le sugar — twelve pounds per day. 
The "raising" occurred in .\pril. settlers 
within a radius of ten miles taking part. 
Twentv per.sons were present at the festivities 
— (|uite a company for those days in Clinton 
County. 

In 184 1 Philip Peck's brother with his fam- 
ily, came from Tecumseh and began Clinton 



490 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



County life in Boughton's cabin. His name 
was Elkanah Peck. Charles M. Thornton 
and family, from Novi, Oakland County, came 
to section thirty-four in 1838. and in 1844 ex- 
changed farms with his brother, Ezra Thorn- 
ton, who moved to Riley, but finally returned 
to Oakland. In 1839 Gordon Treat and fam- 
ily located on section twenty-eight. Their first 
cabin was not weather-proof, but sufficiently 
built to exclude wild-cats. In 184 1 Gabriel 
Cronkite came to Riley from Oakland County. 
In 1841 the list of resident tax-payers was 
as follows : 

Parley Gardner, section 3, 80 acres. 
Robert B. Gardner, section 3, 40 acres. 
Morris Boughton, section 7, 160 acres. 
Charles Kellogg, section 14, 160 acres. 
Atwell Simmons, sections 25-30, 140 acres. 
Henry Williams, section 27. 160 acres. 
Lloyd Worth, sections 27-28. 240 acres. 
Gordon Treat, .section 28. 80 acres. 
Francis Francisco, sections 33-34. 60 acres. 
Gabriel Cronkite. section 34. 40 acres. 
J. J. Cronkite, section 34, 40 acres. 
Nathan Case, section 34, 60 acres. 
S. W. Cronkite, section 34, 80 acres. 
Charles M. Thornton, sections 34-35. 240 
acres. 

Robert IMcFall. section 35, 70 acres. 
Elisan Campbell, section 35, 10 acres. 
Nathan Reed, section 36, 160 acres. 
It mav be noted from the above that in 
1841 the majority of the settlements were in 
the southwestern portion of the township. In 
1844 the number of resident tax-payers had in- 
creased from seventeen to twenty-seven. 

The first town-meeting in Riley was held at 
the house of Charles M. Thornton in .A.pril, 
1841. as required by the act of the legislature 
organizing the township, approved March 
15th, 184T. The early records of the town- 
ship were destroyed by fire on July ist. 1841. 
At the town-meeting of 1842 there were 
twenty-four votes cast. 

Riley had its first public school in a log 
cabin first ocaipied by Washington Cronkite. 
One by one, schools were established and 
maintained in behalf of the children of the 



settlers. The first Riley post-office was es- 
tablished in 1855, the second in 1857. This 
township did not have a saw-mill until 1875, 
when one was built on section twenty-five by 
Henr\- Harlow & Co. In 1874 the Forest Hill 
Cheese Company erected its facton,' on section 
se\'enteen at a cost of two thousand four hun- 
dred dollars. 

Jonathan Owen, who settled on one hundred 
twenty acres of section eighteen in 1845, was 
one of the Clinton County pioneers who could 
claim for their ancestry a Revolutionary rec- 
ord of service in the cause of the colonies. His 
father, Col. Jesse Owen, a patriot of the most 
genuine stamp, settled in Orange County, New 
York, at the close of the war. Philip P. Peck 
was born at Danbun,-. Connecticut, in 1802. 
Lyman Hungerford was a native of Oneida 
County, New York, his father having been 
reared in Vermont. Hungerford purchased in 
1836 the northeast one hundred sixty acres of 
section thirty-four, to which he came with his 
family in 1843. 

Westphalia is pre-eminently the German 
township of the county. The township is in- 
habited by a thrifty and prosperous peojjle. 
and altlmugh the township is devoted to agri- 
cultural interests and pursuits, nevertheless, it 
has become one of the most progressive and 
wealthy sections of the county. Reference has 
before l>een made to the immigration of people 
from Germany to this county, and it is the fact 
that the I'jioneer settlers of Westphalia were 
Germans directly from the Fatherland. 

In 1836 John Hauses. Anthony Cordes and 
Joseph Platte were the first to enter this sec- 
tion of Clinton County. In the fall of that 
year, John Hauses. Joseph Platte. Anthony 
Cordes, and William Theilman, natives of 
European Westphalia, arrived at Detroit. The 
Grand River valley was then regarded as a 
favorable countrj- for settlement, and follow- 
ing the counsel of a Catholic priest, these per- 
sons moved westward. By journeying on foot 
by way of the Grand River road the Dexter 
Trail, they reached Lyons in Ionia County. 
Here the party learned that the lands which 
they might be able to acquire upon favorable 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



491 



terms, lay to tlic east. Speculators had gained 
control of the more desirable tracts, and this 
group of earnest foreigners desired to obtain 
lantls from tlie government, rather than to pay 
advanced prices to speculators. As conditions 
were at that date, the surface of Westphalia 
was considered as wet and swampy and of 
little value. However, these pioneers desired 
principally a location where they might nl)- 
tain land at moderate prices. After exploring 
the country as well as they were able, section 
five was chosen by them as the place to begin 
a colony. Here they began the operation of 
clearing, reaching the locality on September 
8th. 1836. They took possession of the whole 
section less eighty acres, or five hundred sixty 
acres. Hauses. Theilman. Cordes and Platte 
here began at once the work of opening West- 
phalia to improvement and progress. Theil- 
man finally settled upon section seven. All 
these .settlers, save Hauses. who was unmar- 
ried, after building cabins and making small 
clearings, brought their families who had been 
waiting at Detroit, to tiie A\'estplialia settle- 
ment in Febniary, 1837. Hauses built his 
cabin and hved a baclielor's life until I-'ebniar)' 
1st. 1840. Early in 1837 Fr. Anthony Kopp. 
a Catholic ])riest. was a welcome addition to 
this little community. The life of this pioneer 
grou]) was unusually hard. The expense of the 
long journey from their Eurojiean homes, the 
fact that they were in a new countr\- sur- 
rounded by conditions new to them, contrib- 
uted to their hardships. One i)f the group ex- 
pended his last cent in paying for the trans- 
jmrtation of his few household goods from De- 
troit. Tn ^^,^J. flonr was sold at twenty-one 
dollars per barrel at Lyons. The couiUr\- was 
heavily and densely timbered, and these con- 
ditions resisted the progress of the settlement 
and added to the burdens of these settlers. Fol- 
lowing their friends of German Westphalia, 
came in 1837 and 1838. F.verhard Platte. 
Michael Thome, Peter Platte, .\nton I'latte, 
Michael Thoman, Bernard Rademacher, Nich- 
olas Matrin and Lorenz Xasman. With this 
reinforcement, the future of Westphalia was 
assured. In 1839 came Phili]) H. Martz, C"on- 



rad Martin, I'ranz Rademacher, (lottfried .A.d- 
leman, Mathias Ott, Anthony Hubin, Peter 
Arens. In 1840, immigrants from the Rhine 
valley, in (lermany, among whom were John 
Lehman, John Fox, Nicholas Paul, came with 
their families to found hcjines in this new 
country, and in the following year they were 
followed by a number of families from the 
same locality, adding the following names to 
the list of W'estphalia immigrants : Adam 
h'edewa, Jacob Spitzley, John Pung, Mathias 
Simons, Theodore Droste, Mathias Schaffer, 
Peter Worth, Maurice Fedewa, Anthony Mar- 
tin, Peter Wirth, John Smith, John Fox, 
Ouerin Smith. Joseph Bohr, Louis Weber, 
Jacob Newman, John Dunnebacker, and oth- 
ers. The list of resident tax-payers in 1859 
was as follows : 

Franz Rademacher. section 3, 80 acres. 

Conrad M.'utin, section 4, 80 acres. 

Michael Thomen, section 4. 40 acres. 

Gottfried Adleman, fection 4, 38 acres. 

Anthony Cordes. section 5, 112 acres. 

Mathias Ott. section 4. 38 acres. 

John Hauser. section 3. 135 acres. 

Bernard Rademacher. section 5. 24 acres, 

\nthi>n\ Kopp, section 5, 80 acres. 

Nicholas Martin. secti(~>n 5. 65 acres. 

Joseph Platte, section 3. 40 acres. 

Michael Thome, section 9, 80 acres. 

.A. Huhn, section 10. 40 acres. 

Peter .Arens. section 9. 40 acres. 

James J. McRolierts, section 12. 80 acres. 

Philip H. Martz. section 4. 40 acres. 

James J. McRoberts, of the above list, came 
to Westphalia in 1839, locating upon section 
twelve and later moving to Dallas. At about 
the .same time. David Wells came from Oak- 
land County and settled upon section thirty- 
six. iKMug the first pioneer to lireak into the 
southern part of the township. 

Westphalia was organized separately March 
21. 1839. The name of the new township 
followed almost as a matter of course. Rev. F"r. 
Kopp suggesting Westphalia. The first 
town-meeting was held at the house of .\n- 
thony Cordes April 2gth, 1839, where An- 
thony Kopp was elected as the first super- 



49-' 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



\is<ii'. W^estplialia received its first post-office 
j)n)l)ably in 1850. mail arriving via DeWitt. 

\\ hen Antliony Kopp, the Catholic priest, 
came to the Westphalia commnnity. he began 
preparations at once to minister to their intel- 
lectual and spiritual needs. Church services 
were held in a log cabin ; arrangements were 
made for instruction of the \-outh of the little 
settlement. Lorenz Xasman and Peter Sewa- 
tius. amiing the first to arrive, were shoemak- 
ers : Joseph 1 'latte was the first to open a store, 
which stood on section five. The first black- 
smith shop was conducted by Joseph \\'eaver 
on section four. Some time in 1871 a flouring 
mill was built by I'Vank Noeker. Thus briefly 
and im])erfectly told is the story of the begin- 
nings (if this townshij) — Clinton County's Ger- 
many. 

For i^resent purposes Bingham township is 
considered apart from the village of St. Johns. 
Of the townships of the county. Bingham was 
at an early date, among the most unpromising 
to the settler. Cienerally speaking, the sur- 
face of the township, seven north of range two 
west, was, in 1836 and 1837, a veritable 
swamp, with occasional areas of better land. 
Although Bingham was tardy in being settled, 
on the other hand, its growth and progress has 
been comparatively rapid. Swamp and marsh 
tracts which were deemed valueless in pioneer 
days have been drained at great expense, and 
large areas of this waste land of former days 
are now under profital)le cultivation. The 
rapid improvement of this inland and interior 
section of the county may in a measure be at- 
tributed to the location of the Village of St. 
Johns within its borders, and the fact that the 
Detroit and ^Milwaukee Railroad made this 
point a station and distributing center for a 
broad scope of countr}-, thus inducing immi- 
gration to this village. However, years be- 
fore the St. Johns \'illage was of any conse- 
quence, and before the railroad had been sur- 
veyed through Clinton, the township received 
its first settlers, upon section ten. In the fall 
of 1S37 Lucius Morton and Herod Morton, 
brothers, came from Lenawee County of this 
state to Bingham, and erected a log house, the 



first in the township. They began a clearing, 
and when their supply of j^rovi.sions became 
exhausted, they were compelled to return to 
Lenawee. Here, for some reason Lucius Mor- 
ton employed Benjamin Finkle and Runah 
Morton to go to Bingham and complete the 
work of ])reparing a clearing for settlement. 
These parties reached section ten in December 
of 1837, and began the work. Thomas Neal, 
also of Lenawee, joined them the following 
summer. Lucius Morton again appeared in 
September. 1838. before his ;irrival .Silas 
Parks having settled upon section three and 
Joel Bebee on section ten. In the month of 
February. 1831;). Joseph Russell likewise from 
Lenawee, settled upon section ten. This com- 
munity, known as the Morton neighlxirhood, 
was soon reinforced by Charles Sim])son. who 
located land on section eight: \\'illiam .Siher- 
wixid : John Avery, a native of Connecticut, 
who located land in Greenbush in 1838, occu- 
])ving the Silas Parks place in northern Bing- 
ham in 1842: Samuel Gardner, who located 
land in northwest Bingham in 1839 and lo- 
cated as a settler in 1840. He established 
himself near the line of the road running from 
DeW'itt along Bingham's west line, which 
highwav became a much traveled route for 
land-seekers enroute to Gratiot and other 
northern points. Gardner's tavern, named the 
(iardner House, was built in the northwestern 
corner of section six. Gardner's Corners soon 
became a well known point. I-n 1841 Stephen 
^^'. Downer, the famous l^ear-hunter. located 
on section twenty. J. R. Hale and H(^mer W. 
Hale followed him in 1846 and 1847: later 
came A. O. Huntly and .-\. Warren. In i83_' 
Daniel Ridenour located land upon sections 
five and six ;ind became a permanent settler. 
In this neighl)orhood Simeon Haynes, who 
now resides in the City of St. Ji>hns, Patrick 
\Vhittlesay. Richard Moore, and J. II. \'an 
Sice came to this neighborhood. 

William H. Xorris was the first settler to 
open the way in southern Bingham. He lo- 
cated land u]ion section thirty-two and became 
a resident in 1838. Levi Forst also located 
upon section thirty-five, during the same year. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



493 



Tliis pioneer was killed by an accident at his 
harn-raising in 1844. Among- later arrivals to 
southern Bingham were Nathan I'linl. Wil- 
liam I'ancett, T-.zekiel Lamplierc. Xnrman 
Williams. J. X. DeWitt. William (iigler. 
(ieorge Waldron, O. M. limcks and L. S. 
Conn. In 1S44 Joseph Spcrry became a set- 
tler n])on section thirt\-tonr. Christo])her \'^an- 
der\'cnter in section tliirty-lTve l)einL;' liis near- 
est neighbor. 

Bingham received a separate organization in 
1839. The first township meeting was held at 
the honsc of Joseph Sever in 1830. It must 
be lM>rne in mind that this townsiiip was once 
a part of DeWitt. and that by tlie organic act 
of i83() above referred to. Bingham township 
included the present townships of 0\id. Bing- 
ham. Greenhush and Duplain. Ovid and Sena 
(now Duplain) lieing detached in 1840, and 
(ireenbush in 1842. Bingham's pioneer school 
was in charge of Mary Smith, daughter of Na- 
than Smith, the Olive pioneer, and was held 
at first in the abandoned cal)in of Silas Parks. 
The families of Lucius Morton, Silas Parks and 
Benjamin Finkle were the ])atrons at this time. 
Or|)ha b'isk followed Mary Smith as teacher 
of this scIkioI. and after Lucinda Richmond 
taught a school at the house of Lucius Mf)rton 
who had built an addition to his residence to 
accomodate the school. Morton engaged Miss 
Richmond's services at one dollar ])er week 
and le\ied a per capita tax u]K)n the jiupils in 
attendance. 

It has not been, nor is it. the design of this 
cha])ter of this narrative to present a chrono- 
logical list of the settlers that entered Clinton 
County. Such a work would be an impossi- 
bility within the scope of this history. The i>b- 
ject has been to briefly review the first settle- 
ments as they were made here and there by 
individuals, families or grou])S, as the case 
might be. and thus indicate who the first set- 
tlers were, whence they came and what 
routes they travele<l. .\s has been seen, the 
first settlements were made in the northern and 
southern portions of the county, and often in 
the western parts thereof, although the pio- 
neers came from the eastward. The presence 



of the Crand River as a route upon the south, 
and the I-ooking ( ilass in the same region, in 
a measure accounts for the immigration routes 
followed as hereinbefore imlicated. The set- 
tlers followed the paths of le-ist resistance in the 
tlrst instance, and those after them naturally 
adiipted the routes and localities of their ])re- 
decessors. In the north, the fact of trading 
posts existing in the Saginaw countrv had its 
influence. Many explanations of less general 
a])])lication might be gi\en as to specilic cases, 
as to why settlements were made in particular 
localities. The machinations of land specula- 
tors, the personal choice and prejudice of a 
l.uid-seeker. these could be counted in among 
the causes which controlled. However, the 
line of immigration through the northwest has 
always been generally directly westward, and 
a thousand causes might l)e enmnerated which 
influenced the history of Clinton County's set- 
tlement. 

E.VKl.V \ILL.\Gli.S OF CLIXTO.X COl-'NTY. 

Throughout the settlements in Clinton 
County, villages were ])latted here and there in 
the early days. .\ numl)er of these became 
flourishing comnumities and S(xin developed 
into centers of c<immercial. political and social 
life in the county. While it is tnie the history 
of these \illages was in every instance a coun- 
terpart oi that of the settlements which have 
been reviewed, on tlie other hand, they present 
a ])hase of pioneer life jicculiar to themselves 
and deserve .separate notice. 

The township of DeWitt at a very early 
date contained the villages of Middleton. New 
.\Ibany and DeWitt. Sites were selected along 
the Looking Glass River at most favorable 
])oints, and the first of the.se was Middleton. 
sometimes called "Middletown." The pro- 
prietors of the tract platted for the purposes of 
this village, were Sebastian Beckwith, Joel 
Wickcs and George J. Goo<Ihue. The land 
l)Iatted lay on the north side of the I^xiking 
Glass and east of the present village of DeWitt. 
and may be more particularly described as the 
north fraction of the northwest one-(|uarter of 



494 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



section nine and the southwest quarter of sec- 
tion four. After being surveyed in 1836. the 
original map of this village was filed in Febru- 
arj- of the same year. The plat divides the 
prospective village into eighty-six lots of one 
and three-fifths acres each. Block thirty-six 
was reserved for a public square. Each block 
contained eight lots, which were in dimensions 
four by eight rods. Streets were named as 
follows: Huron, Superior, Ontario, Detroit, 
Erie, Michigan. Mason, St. Joseph, Mill and 
Ionia. The above named streets as platted ex- 
tended north and south, while the east and 
west streets were named as follows : Quay. 
Toledo, Chicago. Maine, Clinton, Monroe, Jef- 
ferson and Washington. But in spite of all 
this, the village of Middleton never material- 
ized, and in 1842 the lots thereof were sold for 
unpaid taxes to Milo H. Turner, David Stur- 
gis, Hiram Stowell. W. H. Case and W. A. 
Hewitt. 

The village of New Albany made better 
progress than did Middleton, and the plat of 
this village was probabh- the first one made for 
anv village in the county. Hiram F. Sheldon, 
of Cleveland, Ohio, owned the land covered by 
this plat. In 1836 he disposed of his inter- 
ests to George T. Clark, of .\lbany. New York. 
The land upon which this village was situated 
is described as the south fraction of the north- 
east one-quarter of section eight, containing 
one hundred seven and eighty one-hundredths 
acres : certain reservations being made for 
Sheldon. Milo H. Turner was the agent of 
George F. Clark and managed this property. 

This village was divided into twenty-nine 
blocks and some lots were sold. In 1840 this 
property was advertised and sold for unpaid 
taxes. Milo H. Tunier secured fifty-five lots, 
David Sturgis, five; Seth P. Marvin, two; J. 
T. Turner, two; William F. Turner, one; and 
George F. Clark, one. The last sale of this 
property was made in 1848. 

In referring to the village of De\\'itt, dis- 
tinction must be made between the old village 
of DeWitt and the village as it exists today. 
The plat of old De\\'itt was offered for record 
Januarv 2nd. 1837. The land upon which t\v: 



village was platted was owned by Frederick 
Boles and was surveyed on December 12th, 
1836 and was platted by Dr. Bennett and J. 
M. W'ilcox. The map of the plat contains the 
following: "All lots are (4) rods wide and 
eight rods deep, except on blocks five, six and 
seven, which are 4 rods by 5 deep, and the 
water-lots and other fractions are variable in 
depth. This plat contains, according to the 
original surveys, one hundred ninety-seven and 
fifty-four one-hundredths acres. All streets in 
the plat are four rods wide and intended as 
public highways, and the timber in the same at 
the proprietors' service, if required; if not, the 
buyers of lots are to have it. Lots No. 3. 4, 
in block No. 51, and lots No. 3, 4, in block No. 
54 are given for the firm established church 
in said plat, and also named Public Square 
for public purpo.^es; and all other lots in the 
pro]irieti)r"s name for his own use. Frederick 
A. Roles, proprietor." 

This village was situated east of New 
• Vlbany and lay south of the Looking Glass. 
Streets were named as follows : Newton, 
Wavne. Maine, Park, Hall, Lyon and Lynn, 
and parallel with the river. River, Wall, 
Spring, Franklin. Jefferson, Madison, 
Brighton. Church, Summer. Green. St. .\nne's, 
Katharine, St. Mary"s and Frederick. 

The \illage of De\\'itt. south of the Look- 
ing Glass river, became the property of the 
state of Michigan for the taxes of 1842. The 
tax on each block ranged from ninety-five cents 
to one dollar and twenty-four cents. It will be 
observed that the village of DeWitt referred to, 
passed out of existence at an early date. 

The land of Captain Scott, whose settlement 
in DeWitt township has been mentioned, was 
platted by him Octoljer 26th. 184:. This tract 
was situated on the north side of the Looking 
Glass river on sections five and eight, and the 
village there situated for a considerable time 
was the center of ci\ic and public life in Clinton 
count\-. It was the county seat of Clinton until 
1857. In 1839 Captain Scott erected a frame 
building for the purpose of a store-room and 
grocen-, and the first sessions of the county 
court of Clinton county were held at this place. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



495 



A school-h( iiisc was Iniilt at tlie site of the 
present Iniildiiijj in 1840. C(nirt was held in 
this public buiklingf and the board of supervisors 
often met here. In 1R4J Captain Scott erected 
tiie first hotel, whicii buildintj was utilized fre- 
quently for public meetings of various .sorts, and 
was utilized as a court hou.se. small buildin.a^s 
ha\iu<r been built for county offices. Captain 
Scott soon received a commission as postmaster 
of DeW'itt. the postoffice lieing kept at his house. 

The first sawmill in the o unity was erected 
by Hiram W'ilco.x in '37. upon the south side 
of the Looking Class, and was in running order 
in 1838. .\n accident occurred in this cnnnec- 
timi which is worthv of iiK'iuinii. This saw- 
mill was an object of interest and curiosity on 
the part of the settlers, ;uid one .Sunday after- 
noon, after the mill had been ]>ul in shape for 
openuion. a number of these settlers visited the 
mill and asked that the machinery lie started. 
Sylvester Scott, a .son of Captain Scott, was at 
the time examining the machinery, and placed 
himself in jeii])ardy, and when the power was 
turned on and the machinery started in motion, 
Sylvester Scott was instantly killed. 

Milo H. Turner, as agent of George T. 
Clark, arrived in 183S, bringing with him a 
stock of goods which he offered for sale. He 
erected a log house and opened the first store in 
the village of DeWitt. He lea,sed the saw-mill 
of Hiram Wilcox and built a large frame struc- 
ture which was devoted to the uses of a hotel. 
Jesse Foot Turner, a brother of Milo H. 
Turner, arrived the following year. In 1844 
the Turner brothers erected on the Looking 
Glass river, a grist mill. These brothers were 
lucn of great activity and remained identified 
with the interests of the township ami county 
until 1850. when the gold fields of California 
lured them to the Pacific coast. George T. 
Clark later became a resident. 

David Sturgis came from Portland, Ionia 
county, in 1840 with a stock of goods, as agent 
for a Detroit firm, and built the first store on 
the north side of the river. He afterwaril built 
an ashery and remained in DeWitt until 1850. 
when he removed to St. Johns, and later to 
Gratiot, after having l)een at one time associate 
judge of the county court. 



I'or many years the distinction accorded to 
DeWitt as the center of the judicial business of 
the county, attracted many representatives of 
the bar and DeWitt became the center of legal 
talent nf the cuunty. The uncertain tenure by 
which DeWitt maintained its ])restige as the 
county seat, offered strong obstacles against 
the erection of county buildings, and on the oc- 
casion of the removal of the county seat to St, 
Johns, not a buiUling of importance had lieen 
de\iiteil to countv uses. This also niaterially 
influencejl the growth nf the \illage and has 
effectually checked the dexelnpment of its busi- 
ness interests since 1857, when the county seat 
was removed to St. Johns. 

In 1838 Riley J. W'oodruff. now a \eneral)le 
justice of the peace of St. Johns, came with his 
parents to DeWi.tt. Mr. W'oodruff states that 
at that time, on the north side of the Looking 
Glass, there stood a log blacksmith -^hop and 
a log hotel, and a large granar\- ruul horse-bnrn. 
Captain .Scutt owned the property at the four 
corners of what is now DeWitt village. Eighty 
rods east of these corners, on the Grand River 
road, was a log house, and to the west of the 
location of the hotel, a son of Cajitain Scott had 
his log dwelling, .\cross the river, at the site 
of New .\lbany, stood a single log hou.se. .\t 
this time the Grand River road was the only 
highway through the state from Detroit to 
Grand Rajiids and the laufl office at Ionia, and 
consequently was a much traveled route. Money 
from the Ionia land office was carried to De- 
troit by way of DeWitt, in a wagon, drawn by 
horses and guarded by soldiers. .\t DeWitt the 
lioxes of money were frequently unloaded and 
placed in the bar-nx)m of the hotel, where, sur- 
rounding the tre;isure, the .soldiers lay down for 
the night's rest, guarding the boxes. 

The Scott road, as it was then called, ex- 
tended northward from DeWitt, crossing the 
site of the court house square at St. Johns, and 
from there pursue<l a more or less devious 
course to Rochester colony, and from there ran 
to Flint in Gene.see county. Captain Scott, of 
DeWitt, blazed a trail to Flint, where he ob- 
tained lumber for his hotel referred to. and this 
became a favored route joining the settlements 
at Rochester colony and DeWitt. In 1840. Mr. 



496 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



Woodruff and others went Ijy this route to 
Rochester Colony to repair the mills there, the 
erection of which has already lieen mentioned. 
In those days the saw-mills consisted of a 
vertical saw, and under favoralile conditions one 
saw could cut two thousand feet of lumber in 
one day. Circular saws did not make their ap- 
pearance in the county until as late as 1850 to 
i860. 

Referring to the saw-mill at DeW'itt which 
stootl on Prairie creek, this plant was first 
oj)erated liy a wheel sixteen feet in height, later 
a central discharge water-wheel was substituted. 
George Scott, who resides a short distance west 
of the hotel site in the present \illage of De- 
\\'itt, is. as Mr. Woodruff claims, the oldest 
pioneer of Clinton county. He is a son of Syl- 
vester Scott, whose tragic death in 1840 at the 
DeW'itt saw-mill has been mentioned. 

At the present time DeW'itt is a healthy vil- 
lage with a populatiou of upwards of four 
hundred. The Lansing and .Suburban Com- 
pany's Railway connects this point with St. 
Johns and Lansing. DeW'itt has a bank oper- 
ated by \\'oodniff Brothers, who are engaged in 
a general banking, real estate and insurance 
business. It has also a custom mill and a cream- 
ery. Brazee & Co. conduct a large general 
store. Clayey & Brya deal in hardware and 
kindred lines. The Sibley Lumber Co. handles 
lumber, coal, fuel and builders" supplies. Charles 
W. W'ebb conducts a jewelry store, while 
George W'. Gross is engaged in the farming- 
implement business. The hotel, which has been 
improved and remodeled, is called Joe's Tav- 
ern, being owned and conducted by J. S. Bard. 
This hostelry now has steam heat and electric 
lights and a li\er\- in connection, and is a mod- 
ern, up-to-date affair. 

Reference has been made to the establishment 
of the Campau trading jjost in 1835 near the 
Maple river in Essex township. This point be- 
came, as has Iieen seen, an important point and 
a trading center in northwestern Clinton. No 
steps were taken toward the incorporation of 
a village until as late as 1852, when William 
.-\. Hewitt purchased two hundred and fort\- 
acres of land of Solomon Moss el al. This 



]3arty began the construction of a dam and 
saw-mill on the Maple, which saw-mill was in 
running < irder in 1853. Tlie building was en- 
larged five years later and a grist-mill added. 
F'innlly the saw-mill machinery was remo\-ed 
and the fiouring null capacity increased. This 
mill was in operation in 1878. but having been 
damaged seriously by high water, has been idle 
since. 

.\ N'illage was ])latted Ijy this entei'prising 
pioneer in 1853. when he estaljlished a store 
near bis mill. Later be l)uilt a hotel and was 
a])i>ointed ixistmaster. L'pon his death in 1863. 
his son, Isaac Hewitt, succeeded to the manage- 
ment of a considerable estate. In 1864 Mr. 
Isaac Hewitt erected a saw-mill operated by 
steam and carried on a lumbering business of 
considerable magnitude. In 1855 a schcKjl- 
housc was erected and remained in use until 
1870. One of the first teachers of the Maple 
Ra])i(ls .school was Rev. Elisha Mudge, now a 
minister of the Christian church. Mr. Mudge 
still remains a resident of Clinton county, and 
follows his chosen calling, and has been 
identified in years past with the public life of 
the county mid has exercised considerable in- 
lluence on the trend of events. 

I'nfortimately the original plat of the village 
was ne\-er recorded, and in 1867 a new sur\-ey 
was made and the plat completed. As has been 
seen. Maple Rapids, to the present date, has no 
railway, although several attempts have Ixen 
nrule to obtain one. The banking business of 
Solomon P. Creasinger was established in 1875. 
It is said tliat the banking building erected by 
this party in 1874 cost him six thou.sand one 
hundred an<l thirty dollars. .\t the present 
time Hewitt and Groom o])erate a private bank 
and (1(1 a considerable business in commercial 
lines. .Ma])le Rapids had a newspaiier as early 
as 1874. called the ".Maple Rapids Messenger." 
which li\ed until January. 1878. On October 
26th, 1878. the "Maple Rapids Dispatch" was 
estaljlished, and this sheet is still published. 

While it is not necessary, nor the purpo.se of 
this narrative, to give a minute list of the .sepa- 
rate industries of the county, it may be stated 
in a general way that the business interests of 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



497 



Maple Rapids liave siradually increased. At 
the present time it lias a flmn-ing mill, planing 
mill, creamery, hank and a newspaper, a graded 
puhlic sclinol. tun clnirclics. and is connected hy 
telephone. .\s has l)een seen, it was thought 
that the electric line wiiich now operates l)e- 
tween Lansing and St. Johns, would be ex- 
tended northward through Majile Rapids and 
surxeys were made an<l subscriptions raised for 
this puqiose. but to the i)resent time, the Maple 
l^apids and St. Johns stage line is the only 
means of transportation between Ma])le Rapids 
and the county seat. 

Duplain village or Rochester Colony has 
practically passed out of existence as such. The 
jiopulation at the present time would probably 
not exceed one hundred persons. Xevertheless, 
at one time, as has l)een seen. Rochester Colony 
was an iiuportant center in northeastern 
Clinton. 

The village of Mapleton was platted by Ed- 
ward R. Everest, the agent of the Rochester 
Colon\-. in iS^^j. In 1840, as has been before 
stated, a .saw-mill and grist-mill were built. .\ 
store was soon o])ened and the hamlet began to 
show signs of real village life. In 1844 Wil- 
liam Shepard opened a store and taxern in con- 
nection therewith. A store was started in 1832 
by Paine and Kipp. and O. M. Pearl, who be- 
came a trader in 1S50, sold his business to 
Faxon &■ Pearl in 1853. In 1840 ]\Lnpleton 
had a postoftice. The name of the \illage was 
changed to Duplain during that year. Edward 
Everest was the first postniaster. Tn 1839 the 
village of nujjlain (then Mapleton) receixetl 
its ])ioneer phvsician. Dr. William B. Watson, 
who continued his professional duties until as 
late as 1875. .\t present, however, little re- 
mains of the village of Duplain. The installa- 
tion of the rural free delivery system in Clinton 
countv has. in this case as in the case of several 
other small villages, rendered Duplain of less 
importance as a trading center. 

It may lie .said in this connection that in 1845 
Thomas, Jo.sepli and Robert Craven, who 
erected a saw-mill on section ten of Duplain 
township, platted a village which never pro- 
gressed far enough to receive a name. A store 



was opened at this jjoint and l;iter .\lpheus 
Hebee, a store-kee])er who had sold his business, 
erected a wagon sho]) and in 1856 built a tav- 
ern. This community soon had its blacksmith 
shop and became known as Cravens' Mills. The 
Sickles I'mthers. who became the proprietors 
at Craven.s" Mills in 1857, abandoned this jjoint 
and platted a \illage one mile east, and here 
we lm\e the birth of the village of Elsie. 

.\t the present time Elsie is one of the mo.st 
progressive villages in central Michigan. Ref- 
erence has been mafle to the building of the 
Toledo and .\nn .\rlior Railroad from Owosso 
in Shiawassee county north through this vil- 
lage. .\t the present time Elsie has a popula- 
tion of about six hundred, which is rapidly on 
the increase. The country surrounding this 
jMiint is wealthy, and this fact has contributed 
considerably to the growth of business interests 
at this point. Campbell & Steadman's Kink, 
established in 1889, is one of the most important 
])rivate banking concerns in this section of the 
state. Elsie has a flouring mill, saw-mill, phn- 
ing-mill. one of the best cheese factories in 
Michigan, several churches, two hotels, and a 
newspaper, the "Elsie Sun." Hankins Broth- 
ers own and operate an elevator on the Ann 
.\rbor Railroad and transact a business of con- 
siderable magnitude as wholesalers of grain 
and general ])roduce. Hall Murray, the pro- 
l)rietor of Murray's Ta\ern. conducts a very 
comfortable hostelry. Travis. Baker & Loehrer 
operate a wholesale and retail drug business at 
this ])oint and X. G. Pearce is the ])roprietor of 
the Corner Drug Store. In fact, almost every 
line of retail business represented at this village. 
A new public-.school building was recently con- 
structed. 

It will be noted that when Sickles Brothers 
pl.'itted their new village in 1837 all that ex- 
isted was the location. Their plat was described 
as "Twenty-six rods wide extending across the 
south part of the south-east one-quarter of the 
south-cast on-(|uarter of section eleven, and 
twenty-six rods wide across the north part of 
the north-east one-quarter of the north-east 
one-cpiarter of section fourteen." They named 
their village "Elsie" as a compliment to a 



1 



498 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



(laugliter of Franklin Tillotson. Additions have 
l)een made to the plat by the following persons : 
Franklin Tillotson, May 24th. 1858; Jonathan 
Hicks, June 23d, 1858; Elijah W. Cobb, July 
26th, 1876: Levi Randall and Kingston Wooll. 
being associated with Mr. Cobb. June 26th, 
1870: and B. D. Hicks, June 23d, 1871. 

Sickles Brothers laiilt the first store in Elsie 
in 1857 and in 1858 Aaron Sickles and E. W. 
Cobb erected a second, and before long all there 
was at Cravens' Mills, excepting the mill itself, 
moved to this new \-illage. Soon a blacksmith 
shop come. In 1858 Farwell & Son, of Detroit, 
started a chair factory employing four hands, 
which business failed in i860, and one by one 
various factories and wood-working industries 
were established. The first tavern was liuilt 
in 1858 by D. B. Fox some rods west of the 
site of the present hotel. Reference has been 
made to the cheese factory at Elsie. It was 
purchased by M. S. Doyle in 1875, having been 
established liy Sheldon & Eddy. The first phy- 
sician to take his residence at Elsie was Dr. 
Taugerson, who came, it is claimed, from 
Texas. Dr. Taugerson practised medicine and 
lectured un lem])erance. Dr. E. V. Chase be- 
gan to practice at Ovid in 1857. establishing 
himself at Elsie in i860. 

Several manufacturing enterprises flourished 
in Greenbush town.ship in the earlier days, al- 
though this township has but mie small village 
within its borders. 

W. T. and R. E. Davies established a fan- 
ning-mill factory on section fifteen of Green- 
bush as early as 1855. and the Greenbush Fan- 
ning-Mill is known all over the State of Michi- 
gan. These manufacturers were acc|uainted 
with the fanning-mill business, having been en- 
gaged in like employment in the state of New 
York. They came to Michigan in 1855 with a 
few hundred dollars of capital. They visited 
St. Johns and found it to lie a place "of logs, 
fire heaps, and mud, without a passalile road 
anywhere." John Swegles, whose connection 
with the village of St. Johns is mentioned else- 
where, offered to donate to the Davies Brothers 
a tract of land as an inducement for them to 
establish their factory at St. Johns. Di.scour- 



aged at the prosiject, they refused this offer and 
started for Cravens' Mills in Duplain. Stop- 
ping over night at Alvah Richmond's place in 
Greenbush, and attending a school meeting, 
they became acquainted with David Sevey, who 
at that time carried on a business of manufac- 
turing chairs and spinning wheels on a small 
scale. Se\ey induced them to locate in Green- 
bush and arrangements were made then and 
there for the establishment of their factory. 
They began business in 1855, on October 5th, 
and during that year manufactured one hundred 
fanning-mills by hand and sold them as fast as 
they ctiuld lie manufactured. In 1856 the con- 
cern made one hundred fanning-mills and one 
hundred milk safes. The next year R. E. Da- 
vies set out to collect sums due to the firm, and 
after one week's effort, returned with just one 
hundred dollars. These were bad days in Mich- 
igan, as far as financial interests were con- 
cerned. Of the sum which Mr. Daxies col- 
lected at this time all was Michigan pajier ex- 
cepting one twenty dollar Ohio liank bill, and 
these capitalists found that the Michigan cur- 
rency had dqireciated, so that it was worthless 
within a few tlays. In a few years this concern 
became e.xceptionally prosperous, and the busi- 
ness increased until as high as five hundred 
fanning-mills and two hundred milk safes 
were made in one year. At the present time 
the firm no longer exists: W. T. Da\ies being 
recently deceased and R. E. Davies now resid- 
ing in the city of St. Johns, where he has been 
for several years engaged in the harness and 
implement business. Reference is made to the 
Greenbush fanning-mill factory in this connec- 
tion because of the location of the industry in 
the vicinity of the village of Eureka. 

Greenbush township possessed a manufactur- 
ing industry before the founding of the fanning- 
mill enterprise. Samuel Rowell and Stephen 
Pearl, as early as 1850, began the manufacture 
of plows and andirons, on section thirty-six. 
Mr. Rowell finally became sole owner of the 
business. Stephen Rowell took charge of af- 
fairs in 1873 and for some time the Greenbush 
foundry manufactured plows, cultivators and 
drags ami did a considerable business in black- 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



499 



smithing and fjeneral repairinjj. Stephen Row- 
el! still resides iiix)n the homestead on section 
thirty-six, and the foundry and machine shop 
Iniildinfj remains to this date, a monument to 
this early industry-. 

Reference must also be made in this connec- 
tion to the Greenbush Pump Works. In 1864 
Leonard Post erected a small building on sec- 
tion four and began the manufacture of pumps. 
Business increased until 1866. when a more 
commodious structure was erected on section 
eight. Xone of these concerns are being car- 
ried on at the jiresent time, but each in its day 
was a very impurtant factor in the material 
progress of Clinton county. 

The village nf Eureka, lying in sections two 
and eleven, of (ireenbush township, was platted 
in I "^37. A\eiy Chappell had l)een running a 
store and had charge of the Cireenbush post- 
office at a point nearly one mile west from the 
present location of Eureka, the post-office hav- 
ing been established as early as 1843. The 
Eureka of today has a |xipulation of two hiui- 
dred fifty or thereabouts and has a few indus- 
tries, a creamery, wheel-barrow factory, two 
hotels and several stores. 

The Colonial Hotel, controlled by Grant 
Cleveland, is a new brick structure with all 
modern improvements, including steam heat, is 
lighted by patent gas light, and is an up-to-date 
hostelr%' in ever}- respect. The Eureka Cheese 
Company is a prosperous concern. Eureka has 
no railroad connections, communication with 
St. Johns, the county seat, being liy the Eureka 
and St. Johns stage. It has five retail stores. 
churches, and a graded public .school, and all 
that this ^•illage lacks to make it a ven*- desir- 
able location, has been and is, good railway 
connections. 

In 1855 the proprietor of a mill in Knox 
County. Ohio, became possessed of one hundred 
sixty acres of land on section fifteen in the 
township of Greenbush, and was persuaded to 
move his mill to this tract. After making a 
tour of inspection, he found a location on section 
two, upon Mill Creek, and driving a stake, then 
and there declared that he would build his mill 
at that place. After buying some additional 



land, J. .\. Barrington, for that was his name, 
hired a man to build a log house and to con- 
struct the frame for his mill, and by July ist, 
1856. the mill was in operation. Barrington 
returned to Ohio and in 1856 returned to his 
Greenbush saw-mill, bringing with him ma- 
terial for a grist-mill. This was soon in opera- 
tion in connection with the saw-mill, and right 
here the idea of a village in that vicinity sug- 
gested itself. .\ few lots were laid out in the 
vicinity of the mill, and Joseph H. Morrison 
arriveil with a small wagon load of goods, 
wares and merchandise, and opened a store. 
T';irsnns Jeffreys. Isaac Eagle, G. P. Moore 
and M. E. Burrows, land owners in this vicin- 
ity, platted the present village: the plat being 
recorded on December 17. 1857. The de- 
scription contained in the plat is as follows : 
''That portion of the south-east quarter of the 
southeast quarter of the south-west quarter of 
section two, commaicing at the quarter-post on 
the south side of said section, thence north on 
the quarter-line of said section thirty -one rods, 
thence west forty-four rods, .so as to include a 
jiortion of the stream marked Mill Creek on the 
jilat of the said village, thence south twenty-two 
rods, thence east three rods and eighteen links, 
thence south to the section line, thence east to 
place of beginning; also that part of section 
eleven, comhiencing at the quarter-post on the 
north side of said section, running west twenty- 
one rods and one link, thence south thirty-eight 
rods and ten links, thence east twenty-one rods 
and one link to the quarter-line, thence north to 
the place of lieginning; also that part of section 
eleven, commencing at the quarter-post afore- 
said, thence south on the quarter-line thirty- 
eight rods and ten links, thence east forty-four 
rods, thence north thirty-eight rods and ten 
links to the section line, thence west on the sec- 
tion line to the place of beginning." 

This community was known by various 
names, among which were "Williamsport," 
"Barrington" and "Swizzletown." The last 
name was suggested by the idea that the resi- 
dents of this village were extraordinarily bibu- 
lous in their habits. The name Greenbush was 
finally adopted, but later the name Eureka 



;oo 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



was adopted l)ecause the name GreenlKtsh 
caused some confusion, there being a village of 
Greenbush in anotlier county of the state. "'Eu- 
reka" was thought to l^e an appropriate name, 
as at that time the residents thought the site 
was an excellent one and prosi^ects were excep- 
tionally promising. The mill Imilt by Barring- 
ton. Potter and Williams, before referred to. 
was destroyed in i(S6i. Two years later a 
new saw-mill and grist-mill were erected by 
Harrington. 

It has lieen seen Uiat the township of Eagle 
in the southwestern corner of the county was 
one of the first to receive settlement. The pres- 
ent village of Eagle, however, awaited the 
opening of the Ionia and Lansing Railroad re- 
ferred to. 

When the matter of the construction of this 
railroad through Eagle township was receiving 
attention (leorge W. McCrumb called a pub- 
lic meeting. At this meeting a resolution was 
passed offering assistance to the railroad com- 
panv. and the Eagle township officers were 
afterwards authorized to issue township bonds 
in the sum of $9,500.00 at ten per cent, inter- 
est, pavable in four equal installments, the first 
of which were to become due six months after 
the completion of the road. This first pa\Tnent 
was i)rnmptly met. but before the other three 
installments matm-ed. the Supreme Court of 
Michigan declared the transaction wherein the 
toxmship issued bonds to aid a jirivate enter- 
prise, illegal. The lx>nds meanwhile bad lieen 
sold and were in the hands of other parties. 
Action was brought against the township to 
recover upon the.se Ixmds. and ultimately the 
township was compelled to pay principal and 
interest, amounting to twenty thousand dollars. 

George W. McCrumb in 1872 became the 
owner of forty acres of land on section twenty- 
seven of Eagle, being of the estate of John H. 
McCrumb. Jacob Schott added ten acres and 
the plat of the village of Eagle was recorded 
May 6th. 1873. George W. McCrumb is con- 
sidered to be the founder of the village of 
Eagle. He built a depot upon his plat at his 
own expense. In 1873 Loyal W. Hill Intilt a 
store upon this tract and put in a general stock 



of goods. This was the first business enter- 
prise started in the village. Later John Force 
opened a blacksmith shop and McCrumb began 
the constiiiction of a building which was later 
rented by the firm of Cole & Marsh, who put 
in a stock of general merchandise. In 1876 
Cole and 1-detcher erected a building and 
started a hardware store, and a church was 
built the .same year. In 1879 a hotel was 
erected. At a later date a combinetl saw-mill, 
planing-mill. molding factory and feed mill l)e- 
came Eagle enterprises. 

At the present time the pcjpulation of Eagle 
is three hundred. The village is twenty-six 
miles from St. Johns and four miles from 
Grand Ledge in Eaton County. Eddy Broth- 
ers conduct a general merchandise business at 
present. H. L. Godfrey is engaged in handling 
farm implements and genera! merchandise. E. 
C. McCrumb is a hardware merchant ; Reed & 
Co. operate a planing mill and manufacture 
wa.shing machines. The l)anking business of 
Eagle is conducted with the Grand Ledge 
banks largely. It has a Methodist Episcopal 
church and a L'ni\'ersalist church. Joseph .\. 
Huntoon also conducts a general store and 
John Jenison is engaged in the manufacture of 
brooms. It has two evaporators and a feed 
mill and saw-mill at the present time. 

The village of West])halia. as it is toda_\-. is 
platted upon sections four, five, eight and nine 
of Wesphalia town.ship. The population is uji- 
wards of five hundred. The \illage of Fowler 
in Dallas township on the Detroit. Grand 
Haven and Milwaukee Railway is the nearest 
railway point. Westphalia has a saw-mill, 
fioiu-ing mill, creameries, a brewery, a ])ri\-ate 
bank, a Catholic church, and is surrounded by 
very fertile and productive farming country 
and is one of the wealthiest villages in Clinton 
County. 

This village was incorporated in 1883. At 
the ]Drcsent time Joseph Arens & Co. conduct a 
retail store anil deal in general merchandise: 
W. H. Bohr is a hardware merchant. The 
brewery is conducted by P. A. Fritz: Klekmer 
and Weaver deal in furniture: Frank Loebrer is 
a drug merchant : Frank Paul is a harness man- 



1 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



;or 



iifactiirer: Antlmny Snitfjen conducts a general 
mercliandise business : Spitzley & Rowley han- 
dle agricultural implements, vehicles and horse 
furnishings; Michael Spitzley is a Westphalia 
ca])italist and tlcals in real estate. Saier and 
P.ast operate a saw-mill, while the Westphalia 
Roller Mills are conducted by August Xoeker. 
The Westphalia Creamerv Company and the 
Westphalia Evaporating Con)]>any are also en- 
terprises worthy of mention. 

Reference has already been made to the i)arty 
of immigrants who came from Westphalia in 
Germany, and after a lalxirious journey from 
Detroit, linally took up land in Westphalia 
township. The first house built upon the site 
of the village of Westphalia was liuilt in 1849 
by .\nton Dunnebacker. the shoemaker. Jo- 
seph Platte who had previously started a store 
on section fi\e of the township, was the first 
trader to move to this village. Platte o|)ened 
his store in W'estphalia in 1852 and in 1854 
John .\. Fedewa put in a stock of goods, and 
the village began to prosper. Joseph Platte. 
John Smith, and Joseph Bohr helped the com- 
munity considerably when the}- erected a saw 
mill in 1856. In 1858, a grist mill was es- 
tablished. Joseph Platte sold his store to his 
son, Joseph, Jr., and Casper Rademacher, in 
1854. Platte & Rademacher, in 1862, erected 
a new building, and Bernard Rademacher con- 
verted their old stand into a tavern. For a 
time Platte & Rademacher conducted the only 
store in the village. In 1868 this firm dis- 
solved iiartnershij). and the latter member built 
a brick store, which was soon occupied by 
Joseph Arens & Co. Thoma & Arens & Co. 
finallv absorbed the entire business. The brew- 
ery was started in 1861 by Christopher Tlieil 
and carried on until 1866. when Peter Thoma 
and Peter .\rens purchased the Clinton Brew- 
ery which at the present time stands north of 
the village. Snitgen & Rademacher opened 
a hardware store in 1865, and Joseph 
Snitgen had previously carried on the 
blacksmithing business in this village. .\ 
boiler of the grist mill ex]>loded in 18^)8 
and destroyed the mill. The saw mill was 
rebuilt by William Smith, but the grist- 



mill was not erected until 1872. when l-"rank 
Xoeker took hold of the enter|)rise. The West- 
phalia postoffice was established shortly prior 
to 1850. The town.shi]) of Westphalia and the 
village also are pre-eminently Roman Catholic 
communities, and the history of St. Mary's 
church and St. Mary's school is worthy of men- 
tion and no better account can be given than 
that contained in the history of Shiawassee and 
Clint<m counties, published in 1880, which is 
given at length as follows: 

"As soon as .\nthony Ko])p. the ])riest, joined 
the .settlers in W^estphalia. he founded a church 
and school. Kopp had served in the priesthood 
in Germany, and in the new field opened before 
him in a new world, he engaged at once with 
much enthusiastic vigor ujjon the work he was 
called to perform. After Kopp established his 
log cabins as church aiul school, he continued 
exercises in both with unfailing regularity, and 
when amid the growth of his duties as teacher 
and |):U"tici|)ator in all the affairs that concerned 
the community, he found his duties becoming 
laborious beyond his capacit\-, he engaged a 
young German, of Detroit, by name Cronus, 
to come out and teach the school. Presently, 
the jiriest's log cabin Ijecoming too small for 
the increased church congregation, a second and 
larger church was built upon the site now oc- 
cujjied by the jKistoral residence. .After a time 
the second house of worshi]5. like its predecessor, 
was found inadec|uate to supply places for all 
who came, so a third church was built just west 
of the other. The new building was capable of 
holding three or four hundred people, and the 
general opinion seemed that that church at least 
would be large enough and remain large 
enough, but the.se calculations, as will be seen, 
were greatly at fault. In 1867 it became evi- 
dent that enlarged church capacity must be pro- 
vided, for the congregation had risen in num- 
liers to something like one thousand, and so. 
upon consultation, it was decided to build, not 
only a massive and commodious, but likewise a 
magnificent tem])le. which would be alike a 
source of architectural jiride and a place where 
all who came, although they might number two 
thousand, might find shelter and places. The 



^02 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



result was the nolile structure which now at the 
village of Westphalia touches the clouds with 
its lofty spire and remains an object of unfail- 
ing satisfaction to those who worship beneath 
its roof. 

"Anthony Kopp labored among the people six 
years and saw that his labors were fruitful in 
establishing cluirch and school upon a mature 
foundation. Newer and more needy fields then 
inviting him, he passed on. and although he 
came no more to Westphalia, he cherished his 
work there in fond remembrance and watched 
its progress with anxious solicitude, and to the 
day of his death was in kindly and friendly 
communication with the people who remember 
him and speak of him reverently and gratefully. 
His successor. Reverend George Godez. began 
his labors in 1843 'i"'! continued them un- 
interruptedly with the congregation of St. 
Mary's church for the space of thirty years, or 
until the year 1873, when the infirmities of age 
warned him that he was unable to longer per- 
form the duties attendant upon his laborious 
service, and so, at his own request, he was 
transferred to a narrower sphere of action. 
Services of thirty years had endeared him to his 
people and the severance of the bonds which had 
so long bound them, was a painful incident to 
both pastor and the congregation. During 
Father Godez's time the church made remark- 
able advancement and provided, not only the 
present church edifice, but the school building 
and pastoral residence as well. Father Godez is 
still (1880) at the age of sevent}^-five years, 
preaching at Greenfield, Michigan. 

"His successors at Westphalia have been -Revs. 
Trotenberg, Lightner, Reveirth and Herwig. 
The first two were in charge of the work for a 
brief space, while Rev. Reveirth extended over 
a period of five years. Rev. William Henvig, 
the present pastor (1880) was called to the 
charge from Stony Creek (near Monroe) in 
the autumn of 1879. The church edifice, which 
was begun in 1867, was completed in 1869, 
and although the people contributed considerable 
free labor, such as hauling of brick and other 
materials, besides rendering minor other 
services, the total cost of the structure is said 



to ha\e been upwards of seventy thousand dol- 
lars. Seven hundred and fifty thousand brick 
were used in the construction, and these brick, 
as well as those used in the building of the 
pastoral residence and the school, were of cour.se, 
burned upon the ground. The two latter build- 
ings, located near the church, are commodious 
edifices and cost about ten thousand dollars 
each ; die pastoral residence having been built 
in 1868 and the school in 1873. The great 
wealth represented in the church, school and 
parsonage surroundings reaches therefore the 
sum of nearly one hundred thousand dollars. 

"The church contains a seating capacity for 
fifteen hundred people, while an additional five 
hundred or more may be accommodated in an 
emergency. The exterior, of massive and im- 
posing appearance, has a front of sixty feet 
and a depth of one hundred and thirty-three 
feet. In the interior, an arched roof is supn 
ported by massive pillars. The distance from 
floor to ceiling measures thirty-three feet. The 
spire points its glistening cross towards the 
heavens at a distance of one hundred and sixty 
feet from mother earth. The central altar ap- 
pears magnificent in artistic design and prac- 
tically is thirty feet in height by twenty feet 
in width, and in keeping with its character. The 
interior of the edifice is richly embellished upon 
ceiling and walls with paintings and frescoes. 
A large pi])e organ, purchased in Milwaukee at 
a cost of diree thousand dollars, occupies a 
space in a gallery facing the altar. The or- 
ganist. Mr. Henry Horstman. is employed ex- 
clusively in that capacity. Few such churches 
may be seen anywhere aside from the large 
business centers, and that Westphalia, the cen- 
ter of a rural population, can boast it, testifies 
in an eloquent way to the religious devotion and 
liberality of the people. 

"It is not an uncommon scene to see two thou- 
sand persons in attendance at worship of a Sun- 
day, and in this temple — striking in its artistic 
eml)ellishment, imposing in its roomy archi- 
tecture and crowded with the faithful — the spec- 
tacle afforded is one that weighs with no slight 
effect upon human minds. To this church 
come worshipers from five townships, Lyons, 



i 



P^AST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



503 



Portland (in Ionia). Westphalia. Dallas and 
Riley — and sn steadily do their nunihers in- 
crease that even now there is talk of affordingf 
increased church accommodations. The tem- 
poral affairs of church and school and all 
property incidental thereto, are held in trust 
by a hoard of trustees, five in number." 

The parish school in 1868 was put in the 
cliarg-e of the Sisters of the Immaculate Con- 
ception, and in 1874 was transferred to the 
Sisters of Charity. 

Few residents of Clinton county know any- 
thing; alxiut Grand River city. The ston- dates 
back to the summer of 1834, when one Erastus 
Ingensoll became the owner of a tract of land 
in the township of Delta, of Eaton county. 
near the lionler di\iding Eaton from Clinton. 
In 1836 this pioneer increased his holdings by 
the purchase of eighty acres on section thirty- 
fi\e in W'atertown, and later another eighty on 
section thirty-si. x. .\t about the same time, 
Elihu P. Ingersoll became the owner of eighty 
acres of section thirty-four. .\t the time of 
this purchase, this section of the county was 
an unbrf)ken wilderness. 

In 1836 a log house was erected and a com- 
pany of men arrived at this point where they 
were engaged in the construction of a dam and 
the erection of mills. John Thayer, a surveyor 
of Farmington, Oakland county, marked out 
a village extending from the ri\er to the Grand 
River turnpike, which was named Grand River 
city. After the saw-mill was constructed, at- 
tention was turned to clearing away the forests. 
During the winter of 1837, E. S. Ingersoll, 
together with his family, came to this location. 
Later Dr. Isaac Jennings, Rev. E. P. Inger- 
soll, Charles W. Gurney. and others came to 
this isolated spot from Massachusetts. Their 
object was the establishment of an educational 
institution in this wilderness. The state legis- 
lature passed an act incorporating the Grand 
River Theological Seminar^' in 1839. Under 
the authority given them by the articles of in- 
corporation, the tnistees of this institution se- 
lected a site for their building and began col- 
lecting materials for its construction. The 
financial panic which became general through- 



out Michigan and the northwest at aly)ut this 
time, shattered the purpose of this enterprising 
community and ended all dreams for the future 
of Grand River city. 

The story of Pontiac's conspiracy and of the 
defeat of this Indian monarch's plans, are mat- 
ters of general knowledge. The Indian girl, 
Wacousta. who carried the message of warning 
to Major Gladwin of the Detroit garrison, is 
a historical character. The Indians called the 
little stream u])on which XVacousta village is 
situated in the township of Watertown, Wa- 
cousta, and it is said that the founders of the 
village of Wacousta in Watertown on sections 
seventeen and eighteen, near the western border 
of the township, adopted the name "Wacou.sta" 
because of their admiration for the heroism of 
the Indian girl. 

The Waterloo Joint Stock Company was an 
as.sociation formed in 1837. This concern- 
purchased land in Watertown described as fol- 
lows : "Lying upon Looking Glass river and 
being the southeast fraction of the northwest 
quarter of section seventeen, township five 
north of range three west ; and also the east 
one-half of the southeast quarter of section 
seven in the same township: also the east frac- 
tion of the north-east quarter of section 
eighteen ; also the northwest fraction of the 
.southwest quarter of section eight; also the 
west fraction of tlie northwest quarter of sec- 
lion seventeen of the same township." The 
avowed i)urpose of this enterprise was the im- 
provement pf the real estate, the platting of a 
town and the clisposition and sale of lots for 
building purposes. Charles R. Spicer was the 
resident agent of this association. .■Kn elabor- 
ate system of improvement was undertaken in- 
volving a prospecti\e outlay of twelve thou- 
saiifl dollars. The company first erected a 
sawmill, then a gristmill, and also opened a 
store. .\s might be expected, the plan of this 
association did not succeed. It requires some- 
thing more than village plats and fee simple 
titles to develop an isolated wilderness countr}\ 

Charles R. Spicer, l^efore named. ol)tained a 
lease of the company's property' and four hun- 
dred and thirty acres of land, the consideration 



504 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



being eight hundred dollars annually. Spicer 
acoimplished nothing and abandoned tlie place. 
This property was finally sold at auction in the 
city of Detroit. Cornelius O'Flynn and William 
K. Coyle being purchasers. In 1848 Coyle sold 
his interest to X. I. Daniels and O'Flynn dis- 
posed of his to Elias Daniels, which trans- 
action ended tiie history of the Waterloo Joint 
Stock Company. 

Hunter and Silsliee, who came on the ground 
in T840. became the owners of the mill prop- 
erty. This firm had established a store at 
Wacousta. ]Hn"chasing the business of Walter 
Hubbell. In 1S48 X. I. and Nelson Daniels 
came to Wacousta from Cayuga county, New 
^'ork. The grist mill and saw mill were re- 
])airetl and put in condition and the\' opened a 
store. Later a new grist mill was built by 
Nelson Daniels and a planing mill was added 
•to the saw-mill. This concern proved a \erv 
important factor in the development of this 
town.ship. During the earlier period, the vil- 
lage was called "Waterloo." which was 
changed to "W'acousta" as has been before sug- 
gested. Henry J. Patterson (now of St. Johns) 
and Joseph A. Meyers, a well known character, 
were attorneys who located at Wacousta and 
practiced there during the earlier days. Dr. 
Stanton E. Hazard. Dr. A. S. Hyatt and Dr. 
M. A. Mauzer were among the pioneer physi- 
cians. The first school to be opened in Water- 
town was held at Wacousta in 1839. I" ^^44 
a school building was erected. 

The township of Watertown is at the pres- 
ent time, thoroughly developed and is a very 
wealthy community. The village at Wacousta 
has a population of three hundred at present. 
It is twenty miles from the county seat, and 
twelve miles from Lansing, the state capital. 
Grand Ledge, at a distance of seven miles, is 
the nearest railroad point. It has a private 
bank. Congregational and Methodist Episcopal 
churches, several retail stores and a foundni*. 
Andrew J. Bums, the firm of Daniels & 
Cooley and H. C. Garlock are at present en- 
gaged as merchants in this village. Dr. R. D. 
Boss and Dr. John E. Hinkson practice in this 
vicinity. The Wacousta Creamery Company 
has its plant at this \allage. 



The \illage of Bath is situated in the .south- 
ern half of section seventeen of Bath township, 
upon the Michigan Central Railroad, tliis 
branch of that great system being formerly 
called the "Rams-horn." The land upon which 
this village is located was entered and settled 
by a Mexican war veteran, whose name was 
Dustin yiarr. Charles Thompkins became the 
owner of Marr's land. When the Railroad was 
built through the township, the settlers at once 
offered inducements for the building of a depot. 
Money was raised by subscription, and Charles 
Thompkins offered to give the undivided one- 
half of forty acres of his tract for depot and 
yard purposes. The company accepted the 
proposition and the deix)t was built, being the 
first building erected in the village of Bath. 
Subsequently a village plat was made and 
Israel Van Ostran purchased a lot and built 
a tavern. John Steffee and F. Kelly soon 
opened a store. Charles Farr set up a black- 
smith shop. In 1864 a sawmill was built and 
in 1880 Leech, Ray & Co. established the Bath 
flouring mill. Dr. Newell A. Dryer and Dr. 
Albert Hicks were practicing physicians located 
at this village at an early date. In 1880 the 
village had four general .stores, one drug store 
and a wagon shop, sawmill and gristmill, and 
was an imi^irtant trading point in southeastern 
Clinton. 

At the present time the population is three 
hundred. Ray Robeson conducts a general 
store. Felix Marsah is engaged as merchant 
of horse furnishings. A. B. Clews handles 
hardware, lumber and builders' supplies. J. A. 
Hall is a wagon and carriage maker. J. C. 
Davis handles general merchandise. F. E. 
Davis is a drj- goods merchant. Samuel Cush- 
man is a general merchant. The \illage has a 
g(X)d graded school, a fruit e\-aporator, a brick 
and tile manufacturing plant, Methodist Epis- 
copal and Baptist churches, and telephone con- 
nections. It is eighteen miles south-east of the 
county seat and eight miles from Lansing. 
The flour mill is at present owned by W. J. 
Walker. R. H. Loving is proprietor of the 
Park Lake resort. The firm of Ball & Salter 
o]5crate the fruit evaporator. 

The village of Dallas was at an early date 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



:5"D 



located on the line of the Detroit and Milwau- 
kee Railroad, a short distance east of the vil- 
lage of I-'owler in Dallas t<i\vnship. Robert 
lli.Sfliani. who was the chief en.ijineer of the 
railroad, and another party, in 1S57 contracted 
for the purchase of one hundred sixty acres of 
land on the line of tiie railroad, including the 
site of the \illage of Dallas, having in view the 
founding of a village which was to be called 
Dallas. The tract was platted in village lots, 
and in 1S37 the railroad, which was gradually 
being ])ushed westward, reached this tract. 
One Hirani Marsli was made station agent 
and the Dallas post-office on Stony Creek was 
transferred to this puint. A retail store build- 
ing had l]con built ;in(l a few lots having l)een 
sold, impriixonients began. Nelson Kuhn 
opened a small grocery and a shoemaker set up 
his establishment. 

Conditions were against the village. Imw- 
ever, and as late as 1867 it had made no ma- 
terial progress. J. X. Fowler, of Detroit, who 
owned considerable land in Dallas township. 
together with many other residents of Dallas. 
secured the location of a deput on the railroad 
at the present location of Fowler village. The 
railroad company was induced to do this by a 
donation of .seven hundred and fifty dollars. 
Fowler, who owned the land where the new 
depot was built, had it surveyed and a \illage 
platted on the north side of the railroad on 
sections eleven and twelve and called this paper 
village 'Tsa1)ella." he Ijeing the owner of large 
tracts of land in Isaliella county of this state. 
The .station was also named Isabella. The 
hotel building which has been mentioned as 
Ijeing built at Dallas was moved to Isabella, 
and still remains in part as the Fowler Hou.se. 
James Lance, storekeeper at Dallas, set up his 
establishment just south of Isabella village. 
Later he made an addition to the village of 
Fowler. The second store was opened by 
Jacob Shraft in a log house near where the 
Fowler house now stands. The tavern at Dal- 
las was moved by Fowler who owned the vil- 
lage, and leased to Schemer & Gruler. 

In 1869 Mr. Fowler platted an addition to 
the village on section fourteen south nf the 



railroad. The name of the village was changed 
at that time to "Fowler." The name of the 
IJost-otificc was also changed t(j Fowler, it hav- 
ing retained to that time the name of Dallas. 
The plat of the village of Fowler was recorded 
February ist, 1S70, and states that the village 
is located on the Detroit and Milwaukee Rail- 
road on section eleven, twelve and fourteen. 
The addition of James Lance was recorded 
Ma\- 31st. 1873, anfl is described as "Begin- 
ning at the north-west corner of .section thir- 
teen, running thence cast on section line si.xty- 
six rods six feet, thence south parallel with the 
west section line sixty-eight rods, six feet, 
thence west parallel with the north line sixty- 
six rods, six feet to the said west line, thence 
north on the section line sixty-eight rods, si.x 
feet to the place of beginning." 

Constantine (iruler. Frederick Schemer and 
Jacob Shraft were enter|>rising merchants at 
this ])oint at an early date, the first becoming 
a dealer in grain and produce. Dr. L. A. Lau- 
rason, |)liysician and druggist, came to the 
village in 1866. Dr. W. H. McKenzie and 
Di". George E. Bliss were also physicians in 
this village at an early date. John G. Patter- 
son engaged in the practice of law at diis [mint 
in pioneer days, and still resides at this village. 
No village in Clinton county excells the village 
of l'"owler at the present time in the matter of 
progress. 

b'owler has become and is one of the best 
shii)ping points for produce, and one of the 
lie.st grain markets along the line of the De- 
troit. Grand Haven & Milwaukee Railroad. 
Brick and cement blocks have been erected 
u])on its Main street during the last year and 
an electric lighting system has lieen installed, 
and residents of this village are agitating the 
question of improved fire protection. The 
I'owler House, which has for years l)een a 
hostelry much frequented by travelers, has un- 
dergone substantial improvements during the 
summer of 1905, a brick addition ha\ing lieen 
erected. .\t the jiresent time the (wpulation 
is over six hundred. 

The following is a list of the business and 
professional men now located at this jxiint : 



5o6 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



The State Savings Bank, which has a capital 
of fifteen thousand dollars, with Frederick 
Schemer as president, Michael Spitzley, the 
Westphalia capitalist, as its vice-president, and 
W. H. Snelling, cashier; the Sturgis Drug 
Store, which also carries a general line of sun- 
dries, wall-paper, paints and oils; Sturgis & 
Sons, dealers in grain, seeds and w-ool and 
owners of a large evaporator; Sturgis Opera 
House, a new cement luiilding, modern in 
every respect, owned l)y Sturgis Bros. ; Gruler 
& Co., who carry a large stock of general mer- 
chandise, including furniture: H. J. George, 
who deals in furniture and undertaking goods; 
F. W. Geller. who also conducts a general 
store; John Gay, who handles builders' sup- 
plies ; T. Fo.x. who is engaged in a general 
merchandise trade; C. Feldpausch. who han- 
dles groceries, boots and shoes and general 
merchandise; Charles B. Brunn, who keeps 
windmills, builders' supplies, furnaces and 
stoves in stock and does a general plumbing 
business; Levi W. Baldwin, who handles hard- 
ware and agricultural implements; H. H. Alt- 
vater. who handles horse furnishings, trunks 
and valises and buys and ships produce ; C. W. 
Doering, who is a boot and shoe merchant ; 
Charles Heller, who handles general mer- 
chandise; Dr. George ALacPherson & Son 
and Dr. Ernest Schemer are engaged in 
the practice of their profession at this village. 
In general. Fowler has every appearance of 
prosperity and progress. The streets are kept 
in excellent condition and the population is on 
the increase, and the importance of this station 
as a shipping point and produce market is 
growing daily. 

The elevator of Sturgis & Son. Fowler, is 
the largest grain elevator in the line of D.. G. 
H. & M. R. R. 

Fowler village has lieen mentioned as one of 
the important shipping points for grain and 
live stock between Detroit and Grand Rapids. 
The largest grain elevator on the D., G. H. 
& M. railway and one of the largest in this 
part of the state is owned by Corwin Sturgis 
& Son, of Fowler. Sturgis & Son have been in 
the grain business for the past five years oper- 



ating an elevator with a capacity of 9,000 bush- 
els. They ha\'e now nearly completed a new 
elevator with a capacit)^ for nearly 30.000 
bushels. This structure is 65 feet in height, 
with a boiler room 30 by 40 feet. The power 
is generated by two 50 horse power engines. 
the main part of the elevator is 30 by 40 feet 
and adjoining this is a storeroom 20 bv 30 feet 
that will l)e used in storing corn during this 
winter. They are installing a Monitor grain 
separator on the second floor that will clean 
1,000 Inishels of wheat each hour. The total 
capacity of their elevators is now about 50,000 
bushels, and they are prepared to handle anv 
quantity that may be lirought in. 

In connection with the wheat traific Sturgis 
& Son operate a coal yard and have a building 
30 by 50 feet in which coal is stored. They 
also have a large creamery that at the present 
time gives employment to twenty-five women 
and girls. These large buildings are the ones 
that tlie citizens of Fowler fought so heroicallv 
to sa\e during the fire that occurred there on 
the afternoon of October 14th. 

Mention must be made of the village of 
Shepardsville which lies in Ovid township on 
the Detroit, Grand Haven & Milwaukee Rail- 
road, three miles west of Ovid village. This 
village was laid out in 1856 by William Shep- 
ard who ran a store at that point. In T867 
Shepardsville made considerable progress. Dur- 
ing that year a grist mill was erected and also 
a saw mill which was soon converted into a 
stave factory. The boiler in the grist mill ex- 
ploded after the mill had been running a few 
days, killing die mill-wright and seriously 
wounding six other persons. The stave mill 
burned in 1871 and three store buildings were 
destroyed by fire in 1872 and T873. Shepards- 
ville once contained five stores and a hotel and 
the milling enterprises referred to. The cheese 
factory started in 1878 burned two years later 
and this series of catastrophies has brought 
the village of Shepardsville to its present state 
of decadence. The post-office established in 
1867 was called Ch'id Center and later changed 
to Shepardsville. Dr. L. O. Ludlum began the 
practice of medicine at Shepardsville in 1868. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



507 



At the present lime tlie ])'iiiulaiiini nt this 
villag-e is one hundred fifty. 1'. D. Cleveland 
conducts a general merchandise store and D. H. 
Scudder also deals in general mcrchrmdise. 
The only enteqirise that Shepardsville has of 
anv account is the Cheese Factory, operateil by 
C. G. Johnson and J. F. Love, under the tirTii 
name of Johnson & Love. James McGilli- 
cuddy. physician and surgeon, practices at 
Shepardsville at the present time. The nearest 
banking point to Shepardsville is at Ovid. 
The village is seven miles east of the county 
seat. 

Because of its connection with the i)rogress 
of the southeastern part of the county, some 
reference should l:>e made to the village of 
Laingsburg. which lies in Sciota township of 
Shiawassee county, on what is now the Michi- 
gan Central Railroad, being formerly calletl 
the Jackson. Lansing and Northern Railroad. 
The village was founded in 1836 by Dr. Peter 
Laing. but was not platted until i860, at about 
the time of the advent of the railroad. Liang's 
tavern was a very imi)ortant point on the 
Grand River road from DeWitt west through 
Clinton county, and Dr. Laing, realizing the 
situation, built his tavern at an early date, he 
having located upon his land, including the 
present site of the village of Laingsburg, in 
1836. 

When the village was platted in iSto. it 
was of minor imjiortance. In 1871 the act of 
incorporation was passed, which act. because of 
defects, was invalid. The subsequent legisla- 
ture passed a .second act and an election was 
noticed for .^pril 8th, 1872. .\t this election 
one hundred twenty-nine votes were cast. 
After the proceedings had been completed, it 
was discovered that the provisions of the in- 
corporation act had not been complied with, 
and the enemies of the incorporation proposi- 
tion became so strong that this act was rej^ealed 
bv the legislature. In the session of 1877 the 
legislature ag;iin took up the incorporation of 
Laingsburg as a village, and this act .seems to 
have stood the test. Tlie I^aingshurg postoffice 
was established in 1837. f^''- '*^t*-''' Laing being 
appointed post-master. 



At the present lime this village has a pipu- 
lalion of seven hundred, ll has a Hiiilist, 
Catholic. Congregational and Methodist church, 
one bank and a newspaper. All the lities of 
relai! trade are represented. .Many residents 
of eastern N'iclor in Clinton county do their 
trading and market dicir produce at this point. 

The village of Ovid owes its origin to the 
Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad and its loca- 
tion to plans of s])eculators. During the con- 
structive period of the road, one J. C. E. Gu- 
macr. of New York, who owned land in Ovid 
township, endeavored to secure a station upon 
section eleven. Gumaer appointed \V. H. 
Faxon, of Duplain. to negotiate with the com- 
pany. In 1856 Faxon proposed to the board 
of directors of the company that if the site on 
section ele\en were selected by the compan\- for 
a station, the coiupany would \ye donated five 
acres of land and two thousand dollars. The 
proposition seemed to meet with considerable 
favor from the directors. .\t about the same 
time B. O. Williams, of Shiawassee county, 
then a ])rominent factor in affairs of the two 
counties, had built a saw-mill in Middlebury 
township on the line of the railroad at a point 
about one and one-quarter miles east from the 
])resent village oi Ovid. Feeling assured that 
a railwav station would be established at this 
place, this enterprising gentleman plattefl a vil- 
lage and began the sale of lots, .\fter nego- 
tiations had been carried on for some time, 
difYerences of opinion and conflicting interests 
brought about the failure of the enterprise. 
Here a compromise was settled upon, accord- 
ing to which Williams. H. G. Highaiu. the 
chief engineer of the railroad, and Amos Gould 
made an agreement for the purchase of land 
including the site of the present village of 
Ovid, and Higham was successful in securing 
the location of a station there. Thus Gumaer's 
pro|K)sition, as submitted by Faxon, was of no 
avail. B. O. Williams made a plat of a village 
at this place, which was recorded May 27th, 
1838. This ])lat embraced the south-east quar- 
ter of the cast one-half the southeast quar- 
ter of section twelve, .\dditions to tlie orig- 
inal plat have been made as follows: 



^o8 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



E. M. Fitch, April 15th. 1867: J. O. A. 
Patterson and P. C. Bassett. July 3d, 1867; 
Hamilton Stone, December 7th. 1867; W. H. 
Faxon, May 30th, 1872. the latter being thirty 
acres in extent. 

Upon the lot now occupied by the Retan 
House, B. I. Udell started a store with a small 
stock of goods early in 1856. In May of 1867 
a frame store building was erected by W. C. 
Bennett and a stock of merchandise was there 
put upon the market. Bennett also engaged in 
the business of shipping stones and other forest 
products eastward. By this time the saw-mill 
erected by Richard Bajdis was in operation ; 
thus we have the nucleus of a real village. 
John Burkhart soon began the manufacture of 
chairs and cabinets, and Samuel Gilson began a 
cooperage business at the new village. Udell, 
the merchant, abandoned his business unex- 
pectedly in tlie fall of 1857. and for a short 
time Bennett's store monopolized the Ovid 
trade. In the winter of 1857- 1858 A. B. 
Wood arrived, and in May. 1858' W. H. 
l-'axon and O. M. Pearl, of Duplain. rented 
AX'ood's store and put in a stock of goods. The 
building was previously a dwelling house and 
stood upon the lot later occupied by the Potter 
Block. John A. Potter was engaged l)y these 
pro])rietors to take charge of the new business. 
Faxon subsequently took up a permanent resi- 
dence in Ovifl and built what was then thought 
to be the l)est store building in Clinton county, 
upon the site where the Phoenix Block was 
erected later. During the same period of im- 
provement, a grist-mill was built by Park and 
Kellogg: a hardware store was established l)y 
E. D. Gregory; a drug store by John Fitch, 
later owned 1)y Charles Farmer; a clothing 
store by F. F. T. Hasse. who began business 
in 1859 and continued as a merchant for many 
years. The first \illage tavern was built in 
1857 and called the Park House. In later 
years the building was improved and desig- 
nated as the Clinton House. The first brick 
building was erected in 1869 bv Anthonv 
Swarthout. The Phoenix Block was Imilt in 
1873 and the Marvin. IVitter and DeCamp 
blocks were subsequent im])ro\ements. The 



Ovid post-office was established in 1857 at the 
Park House. J. B. Park being in charge. 
Later the office was moved to the Bennett 
store. The pioneer physician of the village 
was Dr. E. \'. Chase, who was followed by Dr. 
S. C. King. Dr. Charles Armstrong, Dr. E. 
S. Leonard. Dr. Baughman. Dr. J. B. McLeon 
and Dr. Charles Knapp also practiced their 
profession at Ovid at an early date. In 1880 
the resident physicians of the village were Dr. 
S. C. King, Dr. J. D. Tirrell. Dr. M. R. 
Yuill. Dr. C. W. Pengra. Dr. J. F. Abbott and 
Dr. O. B. Campbell. 

Richard Baylis. who has been mentioned in 
connection with the building of a saw-mill, en- 
gaged in the practice of law at Ovid in 1858. 
E. X. Fitch was his competitor at that early 
date. The anionnt of business along this line 
must necessarily have been exceedingly small 
at that time. Later arrivals were B. H. Sco- 
vill and John \'an Blarken. In 1870 \V. W. 
Dennis, who still resides in Ovid and is en- 
gageil in conimercial pursuits, opened a law of- 
fice at this village. Later came S. W. Baker. 
W. H. Castle, who now resides in St. Johns, 
and A. D. Griswold. The latter was once the 
L'nited States District Attorney at Grand Rap- 
ids. Michigan. Hiram H. High was, until 
September, 1902, a prominent practitioner at 
Ovid, and for years had enjoyed a lucrati\'e 
general practice. Mr. High was an influential 
politician of the republican party in the county 
and enjoyed a large amount of public confi- 
dence, until the unfortunate circumstance of 
his sudden and unexpected disappearance from 
0\id. Fred R. Everett succeeded to the busi- 
ness of High & Everett in 1902. and is still 
engaged in practice at this village. Mr. Ever- 
ett has for se\eral terms been elected circuit 
court commissioner of Clinton county, and 
has sensed several terms as village attorney of 
Ovid, and he is highly esteemed personally and 
professionally by his fellow citizens. .Almond 
G. Shepard, like Fred R. Everett, is a graduate 
of the Michigan University I^w Sclicwl and 
enjoys a large general practice at Ovid. 
where he has Ijeen located for several years. 
S. R. Smith was for a time located at 0\id. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



309 



Mr. Sniitli served one term as proseciitin_af at- 
torney of Clinton and now is engaged in l)usi- 
ness at Detroit. Michigan. 

Tlie (_)\id Methodist Epi.scopal chnrcli liad 
its lieginning in the organization of a class 
which met at the village sch(x)l house in 1870 
in charge of Rev. J. I-'owler of the Diii)lnin 
circuit. .\t present this society owns a valu- 
able churcli property, consisting of a commo- 
dious, well-built brick church and an unusually 
fine parsonage, and is in a prosperous condi- 
tion generally. 

.\ meeting for tiie organization of a r.a])tist 
church was held February iith. i860. The 
church prospered and its membership increased 
and its new building was dedicated Deccml)cr 
14th. 1865. The village has also a Protestant 
Episcopal church society. This denomination 
held religious services at Ovid for the first 
time, February ist. 1R66. Rev. llenry Ban- 
well of the St. Johns church officiated on that 
occasion, and thereafter rectors of the St. 
Johns and Owosso societies held occasional 
services at Ovid. In 1875 a mission was es- 
taJishcd at this village. I'iev. S. S. Chapin hav- 
ing charge of the same, and in July of 1880, 
the church building was ready for occupancv. 

The I'irst Congregational church, which is 
at present one of the most jiowerful social forces 
of the county, grew out of a meeting held at 
the office of the Ovid Register, January 30th. 
1 87 1. At this gathering were present the fol- 
lowing named jiersons : Dr. C. \'. Beebe. 
David l)a\ is. Win. (i. b'ulkerson. R. G. 
Young. 1,. C. Mead, Frank Davis. D. H. 
Moore, V. L. T. Hasse. John Bennett. lohn 
Potter. J. C. Mabbitt. H. M. Enos, M." M. 
CiofY. I). .\. Howe. J. .^. Kribbs, George C. 
Beel)e. Harry Marvin. J. (J. Patterson. T. M. 
Scoville and John W. I'itzgerald. Several of 
the above are already familiar in Ovid history. 
J. W. Fit/gerald is now a resident of the city 
of St. J<ihns. where he is cashier of the St. 
Johns State Bank. At this meeting resolutions 
were adopted, providing for the formation of 
a temporary organization for conducting C(jn- 
gregational services semi-weekly for a period 



of three months. The subscribers agreed to 
bear the expenses of this work. The services 
of the Rev. Win. Mudder. of l>.'iingsburg. were 
])rocured. In February, 1871, steps were 
taken towards ix;rmanent organization and on 
March 3d. of the same year, this was accom- 
])lished. A house of worship was dedicated in 
1872, Rev. J. B. Dawson being the first pastor. 
.\fter a period of financial burdens and dis- 
couragements, the society finally emerged into 
prosperity. The building now occupied by the 
Ovid Congregational church is an impising 
frame structure with all modern improvements 
and conveniences. Its membership includes 
many of the influential residents of Ovid and 
its vicinity. 

The Ovid Public School is an institution 
which has grown to be one r)f the best of its 
class in the county. The pre.sent building is 
a thi"ee-stor\- brick, which was erectefl in 1870 
at an exi^ense of twelve thousand dollars. 
Since that time many interior improvements 
have been added. The people of Ovid have al- 
ways been :md are enthusiastic and generous 
su])porters of their schools. 

Referring t<i the ci\il history of the village, 
the first \illage election was hebl in April of 
1809. at the \illage school house, where pre- 
liniinarx matters were arranged, and DeW'itt 

C. Huntington and Henry C. Barljer were 
chosen ins|>ectors of election, and L. T. South- 
worth was chosen clerk. ihe election proper 
was then adjourned to the Metroiwlitan Hall, 
w iiere two hundred twenty-se\en votes were 
cast. Harry .Marvin was elected President; 

D. C. Harrington was elected Recorder; J. C. 
Darragh. Treasurer; F. L. Davis, Assessor; 
and Hamilton Stone, Brazil Marvin, A. H. 
Dunham. George Fox. Samuel B. Leddick, 
and William Rose, were chosen trustees. L. T. 
Southworth. whose name apjiears above, was 
station agent for the Detroit. Grand Haven and 
Milwaukee Railway at Ovid for several years. 
I^ter he was employed in a similar capacity 
at Fvart. Michigan, by the Flint and Pere 
Marquette and now is a resident of Custer, 
Michigan. Brazil Marvin who was one of 



iio 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



the first trustees, became unfortunately in- 
volved financially and after years of mental and 
physical suffering', committed suicide. 

The village officers for 1905 and 1906, are: 

President — Charles B. West. 

Clerk — Frank S. Green. 

Treasurer — Frank Den Houten. 

Assessor — John Link. 

Attorney — .Almond G. Shepard. 

The surprising growth of the village of 
Elsie in the north, and several heavy failures, 
had for a time a depressing effect upon the 
business interests of Ovid. Several disastrous 
fires during the last decade have also had their 
effect against the progress of the village. In 
1880 the F'ederal census allowed to Ovid a 
population of 1,423. N\liile in 1890, the popula- 
tion was marked at 1.293. During more re- 
cent years, however, conditions have gradually 
l)ut substantially improved. Of the destruc- 
tive fires mentioned, the burning of the build- 
ings of the Clinton County Evaporating Works 
occurred in October, 1901. At that time this 
propei^tv' was controlled l^y the old National 
Bank, and had been sold on contract to George 
F. and Wallace Gleason. The plant was erec- 
ted in 1890. Under the management of the 
Gleasons, the volume of business had reached 
as high as twenty thousand dollars for a single 
season. Since that date a brick block and at least 
two stocks of merchandise have been burned, 
but the buildings destroyed have been replaced 
by more modern structures. Ovid village, like 
other villages of the county, is a manufactur- 
ing center to a less e.xtent at present than in 
former years. Mention must be made of the 
Ovid Carriage Works. F. A. Scofiekl. with 
E. -A. Reed, Ijegan in a small way to manufac- 
ture buggies in 1877. After some changes in 
proprietorship, James A. Cooper, a wealthy 
hardware merchant of the village, became in- 
terested in the concern. The business increased 
in volume and Isecame a verv profitable enter- 
prise. .\(lditions were made to the plant, and 
private sul).scri])tions were raised to pro\ide a 
more suitable building. .Xt present the business 
is under the management of Sam Pearl. 

In 1866 R. .\. Robertson & Co., of Xew 



York, began a cooperage manufacturing busi- 
ness in 0\id, and placed the same in charge of 
John Culver. This enterprise increased in 
\olume of business until as high as fifty men 
\\-ere employed lay the concern. The daily out- 
put of this plant was often three hundred bar- 
rels and hogsheads. In 1873 Thomas H. 
Meaghan, an employe of the company since 
1866, was given the management of the busi- 
ness. The exhaustion of the timber supply 
and other conditions resulted finally in the 
abandonment of the business. 

Reference has been made to the erection of 
a flouring mill by Park & Kellogg in 1859. In 
TS78 the property passed into the hands of 
Schenck and Sowers, who operated the mill 
for several years. At present Robert Hyslop 
is proprietor of the Ovid Roller Mills. This 
industiy is one of the best of its class in this 
section of the state. The capacity of the mill 
has been enlarged from time to time and the 
machinery is of the most improved pattern. 
Mr. Hyslop has a large trade with eastern mar- 
kets, and his product is well known throughout 
Michigan. 

.\mong other industries of an early date 
may be mentioned the Dunham & Kimball 
Foundry of 1865, later operated by Haight & 
Gun in 1878. 

Ovid's pioneer bank was a private concern 
founded in 1868 by J. C. Darragh & Co. This 
firm included Samuel S. Walker and Charles 
Kipp. of St. Johns. In 1873 this firm was suc- 
ceeded by Sowers & AVhite, who remained in 
charge of the business for several years. For 
several years Ovid had a National bank in 
which St. Johns capitalists were heavily in- 
terested. This institution was wrecked dur- 
ing the financial panic of 1895- 1898. Follow- 
ing this failure, the State Savings Bank was 
organized, which is now a substantial institu- 
tion. Of this bank. A\'. R. Shaw is President; 
M. L. Taft. Vice President: J. H. Robson. 
Cashier. The directors are : W. R. Shaw, H. 
.\. Potter. O. B. Campbell. .\. Woodworth, M, 
L. Taft and J. H. Robson. 

Of Ovid's newspapers, the Ovid Register 
was established luh- 1, 1S66. hv I. \\'. Wick- 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



5" 



wire. The proprictor.sliip of tliis paper was 
changed from time to time, J. W. Fitzgerald 
being at one time in charge of the business. 
This sheet always declared itself as independ- 
ent politically. The Clinton and Shiawassee 
Union was foundet! by J. W. Fitzgerald and J. 
W. Walsh, and the first issue was published 
June 28th, 1879. Mr. Fitzgerald became sole 
proprietor on April 3rd, 1880. Subsequently 
the two papers were merged and the present 
publication is called the Ovid Register-Union. 
Wr. W. J- Martin is the present editor and 
publisher, anil this newspaper is a very success- 
ful enterprise in every respect, and an impor- 
tant factor in local and county affairs. 

Among other enterprises of the present, is 
the I'olding Casket Lowering Devise Com- 
pany, of which E. B. Voorhees is the patentee 
and proprietor. Mr. Voorhees also conducts 
an extensixe furniture and undertaking busi- 
ness besides this manufacturing industry. 

Of the physicians of Ovid who are at present 
in active practice. Dr. O. B. Campbell is prnnii- 
nent. Dr. Campbell's practice has been very 
lucrative and he has Ijeen and is an unusually 
successful practitioner. He is identifietl with 
several of 0\id"s business enterprises. Like- 
wise. Dr. J. Abbott. Dr. E. S. Leonard, and 
Dr. James F. Taylor are at present prominent in 
their profe.ssion. Dr. A. T. Parrish should 
also be named in this connection. 

The Ovid Elevator Cotnpany. of which W. 
R. Shaw is a proprietor, is a concern which is 
valuable to Ovid and vicinity. Besides being 
heavih' engaged in buying grain and produce 
and >liipping to other markets, this company 
handles lime, wool, plaster and cement for the 
lix'al trade. The Ovid Steam I^'uindry is con- 
ducted by R. L. Briggs; at present Abies & 
Covert, E. R. Daggett, W. J. Hathaway, Pais- 
ley W. Holland, and Snyder & Bedell are 
among the retail grocery merchants of this vil- 
lage. F. J. Starrer carries a large stock of 
clothing and furnishings, and .\. L'llman is 
proprietor of the Xew York Clothing House. 
N. T. Fenner and F. .A. Marshall are pro- 
prietors of hardware stores: J. E. Gerow and 
E. Beebe each conduct well stocked drug stores. 



The dry goods trade is controlled by C. E. 
Jill.son, T. M. Anderson and H. A. Potter; 
T. M. Henderson, also a dry goods merchant, 
suffered heavy losses in a disastrous fire in 
1904. Leroy S. De La Vergne and Rose & 
Lewis are boot and shoe dealers; J. C. Sow- 
ersby is the proprietor of an up-to-date livery 
staliie; C. Cowan is proprietor of the Michigan 
I'roduce Company: E. E. Cowan conducts the 
Ovid Opera House, and Cowan & Co. are 
dealers in clothing. J. H. Mathews & Son op- 
erate a machine shop and deal in machinery and 
gasoline engines: George S. Huntington han- 
dles builders' supplies and is proprietor of an 
elevator. George E. Brokan is manager of 
the Maple Ri\'er Creamer}-. Eaton & Mun- 
.son is a well-known firm who carry a stcKk 
of agricultural implements. F. Den Houten is 
proprietor of a well-stocked book store. The 
Hotel Bloss. in charge of \V. A. Bloss. is a 
well patronized public house of modern ap- 
pointments. Tn fact, nearly every line of retail 
trade and mechanical trade is represented at 
this village. 

Ovid has a municiiial electric light and water 
plant, and this, in connection with a compara- 
tively new standing tower re.servoir. affords 
excellent fire protection. The proposed elec- 
tric line from Owosso and eastward, through 
Ovid and St. Johns, to Ionia and Grand Rapids, 
if com])leted. will he of immense benefit to this 
villatie. 



CONDITIONS AND CUSTOMS OF THE 
PIONEER SETTLEMENTS. 

The history' of the founding of St. Johns, 
because of its [jeculiar importance in the devel- 
opment of the county, will be treated elsewhere. 

We have seen in what localities and by 
whom the first settlements in the count>- were 
made. The physical conditions which con- 
fronted the pioneer have been descrilietl. It 
now remains to consider how these sturdy 
home-lniilders attacked the enemies which be- 



I'AST AXD PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



set them in tliis new country, and by wiiat 
methods and inider what circumstances they 
l)ersi stent 1\' removed the oljstacles which re- 
.sisted tlie progress of Clinton county. This 
can best l^e done by relating the experiences 
and incidents of pioneer life as they have been 
narrated by the pioneers themselves, not at- 
tempting in any wise to refer to each locality 
or settlement, but 1)y using those accounts and 
traditions which a|)pear to contain descriptions 
and narratives most typical and comprehensive. 

Reference has already been made to the set- 
tlement of Eagle township. The family of 
Henry Rowlands was the seventh family to 
reach this locality. In June, 1835. Oliver Row- 
land located land on the south bank of the 
Looking Glass river and returned to the vicin- 
ity of Kalamazoo, where he entered and paid 
for this land, and from there went to New 
York for his family. On returning to the land 
of his choice, the first move to be made was 
the building of a house. Logs were first cut 
from standing timber and the ends hewn 
slighth'. They were then piled up house shape, 
the rfiof being made of bark. Many of the 
cabins of the pioneers had no floors. In this 
instance, however, logs were split in two and 
laid u[n>n the ground, the fiat sides upward, 
thus making a rude floor. In those days saw- 
mills had not yet been built in Clinton county, 
and there was no lumber to be had; consequent- 
ly the Rowland cabin was made from the 
toards taken fmm one of the boxes in which 
the family's goods had been packed. The fire- 
])lace was made from stones, flat ones being 
used for the hearth. The chimney back was 
made of stones, cemented with an inferior, 
liimie-made mortar, ruid higher up, the chimney 
was made from sticks, mortised with clay. 
This cabin had one window of six panes of 
glass, each ])ane being sexen liv nine inches. 

After the rude house had sufficiently pro- 
gressed to afford a shelter, the work of making 
furniture for the home l)egan. The first essen- 
tial was a bedstead. In this instance this arti- 
cle was manufactured from poles crossed with 
Ijass-wood bark instead of the customary bed- 
cord, b'or a support, poles were drixen into 



the sides of the house. Chairs were made by 
splitting a short section of log, boring four 
holes in the round side with a two-inch auger 
and inserting therein four stout sticks for legs. 
In this way a chair was manufactured large 
enough for two people and two of these arti- 
cles were sufficient. For a dining table our 
pioneers u.sed a chest which they had brought 
with them. .\ s])lint broom was made from a 
pole cut in the woods. Later boards from 
boxes were taken and a cross-legged table man- 
ufactured. The Rowlands brought one yoke 
of oxen with them and two cows. 

During the first winter the\' ch(jpped ten 
acres, preparatory to clearing. There was no 
grind-stone in the settlement, but it was learned 
that one of these valualile articles was possessed 
1)\- an Engli.shman who li\ed ten miles down 
the river, near Portland. In the spring of 
1836 the.se pioneers took their axes with them 
and followed an Indian trail, walking twenty 
miles in order that they might sharpen their 
axes u]K]n this grind-stone. The first crops 
raised were small patches of potatoes and corn. 
The corn was ])icked in the ear and dried and 
ground in a hand-mill. The man of the house, 
if he were industrious, could grind half a bushel 
of com in an evening. The nearest stock of 
pro\-isions was at Captain Scott"s store at De- 
Witt, and this store was supplied from Pontiac. 
One pioneer of the Eagle settlement, on one 
occasion, walked to Scott's store and carried 
back one hundred [xiunds of flour and venison 
and other articles needed bv the fanfilies. 

When the clearing had sufficiently advanced, 
small areas of wheat were sown. This grain 
was har\-ested by means of a sickle and threshed 
by means of flails. The flail was a heavy pole 
ten feet long, broken in the middle and the 
parts joined 1)_\- a hinge of leather string. 
.\fter the wheat was threshed out, the next 
task was to separate it from the chaff and tare, 
b'or this ])rocess these pioneers used a hand- 
fan, as it was called, to "winnow" the wheat. 
This fan m:ide \yii\u si)lints interwcwen had 
two handles. It was semi-circular in form. 
.\ peck of grain could be i)laced in this fan at 
a time, when it was raised ni) and down with 



1 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



5^3 



a regular iiintitin li_\' the upcratnr and llie 
wheat, heing heavier, fallinij: Inst, tlie chaff 
llnateil U> the floor. Tlie first <jrist-niill wliich 
these settlers ])atronize(l was Iniilt at Portlaml 
in 1837. and in many instances tiie settlers took 
their wheat down to mill in canoes. Tn some 
instances, the wind was utilized in separating 
the threshed wheat from the chaff, and later 
tanning mills i<\ a primitive type came into use. 
Thrcsliing was in tho.se days sometimes done 
liy means of a flail, a.s hefore related, and often 
hy means of dxen. In this process, the grain 
was sjiread uix>n a tloor and the cattle driven 
upon it. thus treading the grain front the straw. 
Next came the rude and ]5rimiti\e revoKing 
cylinder, which wa.s quite an innovation at the 
time, h'inally the horse power threshing ma- 
chine arrived : then the portaljle steam engine, 
which was moved al)out hy means of oxen or 
horses, ami at last the traction engine which 
sui)plies ]>)wer for operating the machine and 
transports itself and the thresher from place to 
place. 

Mrs. J. M. Xiles writes of the pioneer expe- 
riences of Henrv Rowland, to whom reference 
lias heen made, as related liy Mr. Rowland to 
lier.self. The earlier settlers experienced con- 
siclerable difficulty in caring for their live stock. 
Wolves and liears inhabited the w ilderness sur- 
rounding the settlements in large numbers, and 
frequently invaded the inclosures of the settle- 
ments. Tn this connection Mr. Henry Rowland 
states. "One morning I went out to work on the 
road. Joseiih Eddy was path-master. Had my 
axe with me. .\ few rods from nic I heard the 
yelping of wolves and the squealing of a hog. 
I dropped my axe and crowded through the 
thick brush until T could .see the combat. .\ 
large hog belonging to ^Fr. Clark was backed 
up against the roots of a fallen tree — a wolf on 
each side of him. One woulil bite him on the 
side and the hog would spring at him with 
open mouth most .savagely, and as he tumed 
the other wolf would spring and bite. I 
jumped on a log and yelled and screamed my 
best. Tlie wolves kxiked at me and slunk away. 
T thought I could drive the bog home, as it 
was not more than three (|uarters of a mile 



front .Mr. Clark's, but the hog was barlly 
wciunded and mad with pain and fear and he 
attacked me as he had the wolves. I sprang 
back. barei\' escajiing the clashing of his jaws. 
1 turned and ran o\er to .Mr. Clark's and got 
one of the boys and a gun and we hurried Ijack. 
but the hog was gone and we failed to find 
anv trace of it. Perhaps hearing the wolves 
coming back, it had run out and been chased 
into some covert which we failed to find."' 

Man\- of the settlers were intimately ac- 
(|uainted with the Indians. As to the Indian 
chief. Okemos. this pioneer says: "I have seen 
liim. 1 remember that he came one bitter cold 
night to mv father's house, stiffened with cold 
and very hungry. He lifted the latch and 
walked in and went to the great firei)lace with- 
out saving a wurd. .Mv father placed an easy 
chair for him and cared for his wants as if he 
were a distinguished guest. He was an old 
man then. ( )kemos died at bis home at the 
Looking (ilass ri\er abo\e l)e\\ itt in the year 
icS^S. They i)Iaced in his coffin his hatchet, 
knife, l)ipe, tobacco, and some provisions, and 
thus equip])ed for the ha])i)y hunting grounds, 
he was carried to the old Indian village of 
.Shimnecon and buried near the Grand river. 
His son. John (Okemos. is now a farmer in 
Montcalm county. Michigan. The white man's 
fire water wrought great harm to the Indians. 
Those 1 knew were peaceable, except when 
drunk, W'c often traded with them. That 
brings to m\- mind a scene of my early child- 
hood. Three half-drunken Indians entered <xir 
little cabin when only mother and the three 
voung children were there. They demanded 
food. Mother went to the cupboard. One 
brawnv fellow followed her. swung his arms 
and talked what we could n<)t understand. We 
little ones were verv much frightened and 
huddled in the furtherest corner. Mother of- 
fered them a variety of food lint nothing 
would satisfy them. I seem to see her now with 
one hand on the cuplioard to supp>rt herself — 
she was feeble — it was just before her long 
sickness of fourteen years in which she never 
walked a step. The Indians became noisy and 



514 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



more violent, taking down dishes and bottles. 
At length they seized the tea cannister and a 
few other articles and turned toward the door. 
Mother told them they covdd not have them. 
Just then father opened the back door and 
walked in with his gun on his shoulder. He 
brought his rifle down with a sharp bang on 
the floor and with flashing eyes and an- 
gry voice, commanded the Indians to 'go.' 
They did not wait for the rest, but went, drop- 
ping the things they had in their hands. I 
have an idea they were looking for whiskey." 

The story of life in early \"ictor as related bv 
M. F. Swarthout. <in Augiist 24th, 1899, con- 
tains the following": 

"In the spring of 1837, my parents with a 
family of si.x toys, my wife's parents and fam- 
ily, and my uncle and wife, making in all six- 
heads of families, of whom one only is living, 
left their nati\e homes in the state of New 
York, to seek out a home in the west. On 
their arriving at Detroit, they stopped there 
until the men came on throug-h. had to make 
roads some of the waw and build a log house 
for their families to move into. Mr. Laing 
was then living near Laingsburg, our nearest 
neighbor. We also found Robert McKee, 
Squandip, as the Indians called him. Captain 
Scott was then living at DeW'itt. our next 
nearest neighlxir. Many were the depriva- 
tions those early settlers had to pass through. 
I think it was in the summer of 1837, Isaac 
Bennett, the first itinerant preacher, came to 
my father's house and preached. I could 
make mention of many of our pioneer preach- 
ers, who traveled through this dien wilder- 
ness land on Indian trails, fording streams, for 
there were no bridges at that time. I think it 
was in 1838 a preacher by the name of Jack- 
son traveled the circuit. T heard him tell of 
crawling on his hands and knees on liroken 
down trees, across swollen streams with the 
bridle rein in his mouth and bis horse swim- 
ming at his side: all this im- the 'Master. T 
could also mention man\ of the jiioneer set- 
tlers that came in 1838. 1839 and 1810. Init 
will leave it for others to tell. I think there 
was no state in the whole union that afforded 



so many helps to the early settlers as our fair 
^Michigan ; settlers could cut marsh hay for the 
cattle and horses ; there were plenty of acorns 
for the hogs, cranberries and wild honey, 
l)lackberries. whortleberries and strawberries 
for fruit for man; wild turkeys, partridge and 
<|uail for fowl: venison, bear and muskrat for 
Indians and some white people : our streams 
and lakes were full of fish: the wolf, which 
was quite a terror to the settlers, the fox. coon, 
lynx. Avild-cat and mink were valuable for fur: 
all these were more or less help to the early- 
settlers, which afforded lots of means for ix)or 
people. Well, dear friends, you and I have 
lived to see this country in its building state, 
witnessed it in bloom and also ripen ; so it is 
with you and me. Our whitened locks show 
we have witnessed many scorching suns and 
frosty winters. We have also seen the curl- 
ing smoke ascend from the wigwams heaven- 
ward until it almost seemed to kiss the clouds 
and heard from the wigwams the whoops of the 
red man of the forest. Now where these wig- 
wams were, fields are waving with grain, or 
your dwellings stand, or towns and cities have 
spnmg up, Intt where are the Indians todav? 
Our forests are gone and the Indian also. The 
steel of the white man has swept him awav. I 
well remember of the Chippewas in mv boy- 
hood days. The old chief used to be at 
father's often: most always would come a little 
before dinner, would sit at the table and eat 
his dinner with us as polite as a king. Said 
he was in his 104th year: said he was too old 
to learn our language which he very much re- 
gretted : said if he could, he would tell us of a 
great many things that had happened in years 
gone by that would interest us. He was a tall, 
well-made Indian, a good man every inch of 
him, honest and upright, full of good wishes 
for his peo|)le. 

"Well. I must tell you something of one of 
their dances. Father was then living three miles 
northeast of this place. There were thirteen 
families of those Chijjpewas that called that 
their hunting ground. At that time thev were 
encamped near where the brick schoolhouse 
stands in the Parker district : the time was set 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



515 



for the dance : two Indians with kegs strapped 
on ponies had been to De\\'itt to g-et the fire- 
water, as they called it. before the dance com- 
menced. One Indian was to stay sol)er. He 
took tlieir guns, knives and tomahawks, put 
them out of their reach : then the dance com- 
menced, singing. dancing and drinking 
whiskey. On the second day of tlie dance, 
whiskey was like to give out, so thev i)ut an 
Indian on a yxmy, who ran his pony to De- 
Witt and back to get a new supply of wliiskey 
to fini.sh the dance. That same fall. smaIl]K)\- 
broke out amongst them, took the thirteen 
men and also the old ciiief and most of their 
families. In tiie fall of '39, the I'isher Indians 
came and encamped near father's; thev 
seemed to be (|uite a civil set. I'islier was 
rather a small Indian. I remember he wanted 
Ralph, my second older brother, ti) marrv one 
of his girls, which was quite a ioke on Rali)h. 
Okemos. the old chief, we used to see quite 
often, was a small Indian, very hard-hearted, 
and lived to be over a hundred years old. 

"I will tell you something of our school priv- 
ileges. We used to walk from one to four 
miles and were glad of the chance. We sat all 
day on a log split in the middle, bolstered up 
on four legs with a board in front of us for a 
desk. The school houses were well filled, 
though cold in winter. We had two terms of 
three months each, but most of us had to stay 
at home and work half of the time, so that 
what we learned had to be done quickly. The 
weekly spelling schools and geographv schools 
were much apnreciated. I will tell you of one 
l)oy who was so eager for an education that he 
ignored all difficulties. He came to the school 
I was teaching fifty years ago. 

"His clothing was made of blue denim, a 
swankey sewed to the waist-band of the pants. 
He had neither boots nor shoes, but moccasins 
made of old rags sewed together. A piece of 
cloth puckered and sewed up. served for a 
cap. For his dinner he had nothing but dr\-. 
cold buck-wheat griddle cakes, yet he seemed 
to enjoy them as if they were the richest of 
delicacies. 

"Today he is a very acceptable preacher in 



the Michigan conference. Before I close. I 
must tell you something about pioneer farm- 
ing. Most everybody owned oxen. There 
w ere but very few horses. We used to break 
u]) the \irgin soil with four of five teams 
of oxen and a heavy plow. We used a 
drag some with wooden teeth. Ox carts 
were used for nil sorts of business and pleasure 
too. At first we threshed our grain on the 
bare ground with a flail, and winnowed it bv 
hand. Very soon, however, the first sweep 
l)ower thresher apjieared, and was considered 
a wonderful invention : the straw, grain and 
chaff came through together; three or four 
men managed to take care of the straw and 
grain. Our modern steam threshers will do as 
much work in an hour as we could do with 
the other in a whole day. Owosso was our 
nearest market place, and most produce was 
taken to Detroit or Pontiac. The first wheat 
hauled to Owosso brought thirt)'-five cents, 
which was considered a big price. The trip 
to Detroit required a whole week. .\ man and 
team were well fed and sheltered for the night 
for fifty cents. The women made the cloth 
and the clothing for the entire family." 

A pioneer settler of Beng-d township, who 
still resides in the county, recalls vividly some 
of the incidents of pioneer life. He had suc- 
ceeded in clearing a small piece of ground, to 
some extent at least, and began plowing for 
a crop of corn with a pair of steers partiallv 
broken. The ground was full of roots and 
other obstructions and the steers l)ecame un- 
manageable, and after a struggle, succeeded in 
breaking the settler's plow-point. The plow 
he had recently purchased at DeWitt on credit. 
Rather than walk to DeWitt to proaire an- 
other ])lo\v-point, our pioneer proceeded 
lo ])lant his corn without plowing the ground. 
This he did. using his axe, a stroke of which 
prepared a hole for the seed and the settler's 
boot did the rest. He states that relying 
largely upon this crop of corn for the supply of 
the year, his heart was cheered when the field 
gave prospect of an excellent yield. His 
hopes were short-lived, however, for an earlv 
frost arrived in time to destroy his com patch 



5i6 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



for all practical purposes. This pioneer 
grimly states that he recalls painfully that he 
sold his only cow to pay a subscription note 
which he had been induced to g"ive to the De- 
troit and Milwaukee railroad to seaire its 
completion through Clinton count\- 

David ^^'ells. who was one of the first Eng- 
lish speaking pioneers to settle in \\'estphalia 
township, arrived on section thirty-six in 
1839. and the difticulties and limitations which 
surrounded life in Clinton county at that date. 
are well illustrated by his experiences. Mr. 
Wells was compelled to go to Portland in 
Ionia county to the grist mill there. Two days 
were required to make the trip, it being neces- 
sary for him usually to clear his own road. He 
sent his children to the school at W'acousta. 
Trading was done at Jackson, it often requir- 
ing ten days to make the journey with an ox 
team. Coon furs and deer skins were among 
the earliest articles which were used by him 
as a medium of exchange, for which he re- 
ceived flour and other necessities. Such a 
thing as money was seldom seen and all busi- 
ness was done by barter and trade. Meat was 
plentiful, for game abounded in the forest. 
Coon skins and deer skins, if taken to Detroit, 
were paid for In cash. 

The pioneers were not without their reli- 
gious and .social amusements. It is stated that 
the earliest circuit preacher in DeWitt town- 
ship was W'a.shington Jackson, of Wayne 
count\'. This gentleman held religious serv- 
ices at log houses in DeWitt in 183S. While 
the settlers were religiously inclined, never- 
theless, they enjoyed any social diversions 
and dances were held at the log cabins, these 
back-woods revels often continuing from 
"early candle light until dawn." 

Speaking of experiences with bears. Daniel 
Ridenour. who settled in Bingham in 1852. 
had a number of adventures. One day in 
1852, he was out hunting for a cow. when his 
dog started a bear. Ridenour, with his dog. 
pursued the animal until it turned as if to 
make an attack. Our pioneer was imarmed 
and saw fit to retreat. He endeavored to in- 
duce William Siherwood to join him in cap- 



turing bruin, but that gentleman declined. 
Upon another occasion Ridenour was aroused 
at midnight by a commotion among his swine. 
On investigating, he found that a jjear and her 
two ad)s were on hand, prepared to capture 
one of his valued pigs. Having no time to 
lose, Ridenour siezed a club and made an at- 
tack. The old bear and one of the cubs tied, 
while the second ctib climbed a tree and before 
Ridenour could return with his gun, the ani- 
mal escaped. 

John Miller, who came to \'ictor in 1844, 
and Robert G. McKee. who was then a ]iromi- 
nent factor in Clinton county affairs, together 
with an Indian, had a somewhat thrilling ad- 
venture with a bear. Thev had driven the ani- 
mal up a tree which they felled, and as the 
bear was about to escape, ^filler mounted him. 
Bruin made every efYort to get hold of Miller, 
and Miller was determined to stay by his prize 
until his companions had helped him capture 
it. After a struggle, McKee finally came to 
Miller's assistance, and the bear was tied and 
McKee took the animal on his horse, intend- 
ing to carrv it home alive. The animal began 
to resist and McKee's horse became fright- 
ened, and McKee himself was in the same 
state of mind. Miller and the Indian came to 
his assistance and McKee finally was relieved. 

The previous sketches, among other things, 
illustrate the methods and means used by the 
settlers in diose days in building their habi- 
tations. Stern necessity forced these new- 
comers to erect shelters for themselves and 
their families with as little loss of time as 
possible and from the limited material which 
their surroundings iiermitted them to supply 
themselves. 

Lucius Morton, among the first settlers of 
P.ingham. built a cabin that had what was 
called a "trough roof," which was thought to 
be more aristocratic than the cabins of his 
neighbors. Instead of using blankets as win- 
dows and doors, this pioneer tin"ned his 
Yankee ingenuity to advantage, and by means 
of his jack-knife, carved sticks for a window 
sash and i)asted over this sash strips of 
greased paper, which sened as window lights. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



517 



Ira S. Thornton's cal)in in Bensjal. which was 
erected in the year 1842 on section twenty- 
five, had a roof made from hollow logs s])h'l in 
two pieces. The floor of tliis habitation was 
niaik- of Ijlack ash "])unclieons." 'i'he door 
was manufactnrcd from lioards, an<l, as in 
Morton's honse. the windows were snpphed 
with greased jjaper : ])anes of glass lieing in 
those days a luxnr\-. 

In general, it may he said that the first ne- 
cessity which confronted tlie immigrant when 
lie readied his land, was the erection of some 
sort of sheher. He tnmed at once to the 
forests for his building materials. The walls 
of his honse were made of logs hewn or 
notched at the corners, and the spaces between 
the logs were ])!astered with a mortar of clay 
or mud. [f floors were laid at all. they were 
com])osed of punclieons. or s])lit logs laid fiat 
side up. presenting a rude, rough surface. The 
roof was made of l)ark, hollow logs or siiakes. 
The ])artitions in the iiiterior. if there were 
any. were nothing Init blankets. The door was 
hung on a wixxlen or leather hinge and fas- 
tened with a wooden latch and opened from 
the outside by means of a cord, and was 
barred at night by a heavy wooden bar. Often 
this cabin had no window, and if it did. a 
white paper well greased took the place of the 
glass. The crude fireplace occupied one end 
of the cabin. Its back, sides and hearth were 
sometimes Iniilt of stones, and again made of 
clay plastered to a thickness of one foot and 
baked by the heat of the fire. Two small tim- 
1)ers of the proper angle rested one on each 
side of the wall and against a beam overhead, 
forming the jainbs upon which was supjiorted 
the chimney, likewise made of sticks and clay 
mortar, of suitable size at the b)ttom and 
graduallv tajiering toward the top. this struc- 
ture often being utilized as a smoke-house. 

W'hen the fire was built in the winter, a 
log from six to eight feet in length was rolled 
upon the fire-]ilace and denominated the back- 
log. A smaller log placed on top was called 
the backstick. Two green sticks six or more 
inches in diameter and three or more feet in 
length, were placed against the back log end- 



wise, and served the pinpose of andirons. 
I'lxm them was placed the forestick and l)e- 
Iweeu these and the backlog were i)iled dry 
limbs and wood. When this fire was once 
started il needeil little attention. The fire- 
|)lace contained the baking-])an and the kettle. 
.\bout the room stood perhajjs a plain walnut 
or cherry table and jiossibly splint-bottomed 
chairs, and a high cu])l)oard, the shelves of 
which contained pewter spoons, a few cups 
and saucers, colored plates and an earthen tea- 
pot. In one corner may have stood the old- 
fashioned high post corded bedstead, covered 
with its homemade quilts, and now and then 
a spinning wheel and a Irmm might l^e seen. In 
a general way, this was the home of the Clin- 
ton county i)ioneer. These jirimitive pi<ineer 
homes were often visited by hardships which 
re(|uired jjerseverance and courage of the 
highest type on the part of the settlers. 

The pioneer e.xperiences of William H. 
Xorris. who settled in southern Bingham in 
iS_^8, upon .section thirty-two have i)een re- 
lated as follows: "Ben Merriliew had built a 
.shanty on a piece of land owned by him and 
(|uite near to Mr. Xorris, and being unoccu- 
pied, the latter had possession of it until he 
couki Inhld upon his own. .'\t this time he 
sold forty acres of his farm to his brother. R. 
S. (now- deceased), and the two families lived 
together in the house which Mr. Xorris im- 
mediately erected. During the latter part of 
the fall and the early part of the winter, the 
logs were cut and hewn for the brother's 
house, and lietween the Christmas and Xew 
^'ear. they raised it. On the same day, while 
they were at work at the new house, the first 
one took fire, and for all they could do. burned 
to the ground with all its contents: although 
ha])]iily. it was sf) soon after their arrival that 
the better |)art of the household goods had not 
yet come from the former home in Washte- 
naw. .\t this critical juncture, some hard- 
ships were endured which even looked back 
ui)on through the softening influence of manv 
years of plenty, bring with them no sensations 
of pleasure. Of course, there was nothing to 
do but to finish the brother's house and all oc- 



5i8 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



cupy it until the burned spot could be covered 
by another home. In about two weeks from 
the time of the fire, the father came from Su- 
perior with the expected goods, together with 
some eatables put in with especial reference to 
the late fire, all of which exactly fitted in the 
niche which hard experience had chisled. The 
rest of the winter was spent quite comfortably 
in spite (it the uninviting outlook a little be- 
fore, and in the spring enough land was 
striiiped of trees and logs to allow the sowing 
of two bushels of spring wheat on as many 
acres, and a little later three acres of corn 
were planted, although the ground for this 
was not cleared of logs, but the corn was 
thrust into the .soil wherever a spot could lie 
found. One acre and a half of exceptionally 
rough-looking ground was given to a scatter- 
ing of oats, and thus the new farm was 
cropped. In the following August the burned 
house was replaced. Soon after, harvest com- 
ing on, the crops were taken from the ground. 
A threshing floor was made of split plank, a 
flail prepared, and the yellow sheaves of wheat 
yielded up their golden treasure to the amount 
of twenty bushels of clean, plump kernels. The 
corn had eared splendidly and two hundred 
bushels were securely cribbed, but the oats had 
been, sown so late that they could not ripen, 
but were ait and used for fodder." 

But often times, the supply of provisions 
which the settlers brought with them became 
exhausted before they were able to subdue the 
forests and obtain any results from their la- 
bors. The isolation of the settlement, the dis- 
tance to markets and the scarcity of money, 
often imposed hardships upon the settler and 
his family of the most serious character. 

Of the Dallas settlement. Davis Parks has 
related an incident which illustrates the condi- 
tion in which the settlers sometimes found 
themselves. Davis Parks and his brother had 
gone to Ionia to sell a cow and received in 
exchange a small quantity of barley flour, all 
that they could seaire at that place. Hasten- 
ing home with this scant suppl.\-, they at once 
started for Detroit to obtain a larger quantity. 



At least six days were required to make this 
tedious journey, and in the mean time, the 
dependent families at home had exhausted the 
barley flour and were compelled to resort to 
roasted leeks in order to resist starvation. The 
travelers fortmiately arrived in time to avert 
serious consequences. Another incident where 
scarcity of provisions threatened the settler oc- 
curred in Victor township. New Year's day 
was at hand and all the family had with which 
to make the New Year's dinner was a small 
quantity of corn. By traveling about the 
country, the head of the house was able to bor- 
row a peck of potatoes. There was no bread 
to be had and the grist mill was thirty-one 
miles away. Resolving to make the best of 
what they' had, the family ground the com 
into a sort of '^hnny-cake." This, with the 
potatoes, comprised the New Year's feast. 

In 1843, following what is called "the hard 
winter," many sad experiences were brought 
to many of the pioneers. Too poverty-stricken 
to purchase supplies, many families subsisted 
for days upon berries and milk, while others 
managed to live on a diet of potatoes and salt. 
These are but instances of many of the hard- 
ships and sufferings of the pioneer settlers in 
Clinton. 

During the first few years of the settle- 
ments, going to mill and market was a great 
event.' Lucius Morton, who settled in Bing- 
ham, was compelled to go to Ionia or Wa- 
cousta to mill, and in any e\ent the trip re- 
quired four days. In many instances, as be- 
fore related, the settlers journeyed to Pontiac, 
Detroit, .^nn Arbor. Dexter and Ypsilanti, 
with their grain and produce. Gilljert Cush- 
man, who located in Bath in 1836, had no 
neighbor within five miles, and Dexter at sixty 
miles distance, was his most convenient mill- 
ing point, and the actual distance traveled in 
reaching the mill at that point, was upwards 
of one hundred miles. When the mill at Wa- 
cousta was put in operation, the situation was 
somewhat relieved. The Duplain settlement, 
which was among the first to have a grist mill 
and provision .stores close at hand, at first ex- 



I'AST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



5»y 



perienced tlie inconvience uf the situation, as 
the settlers were re<niire(l in oriler to reacli 
a market ov mill, tn ,i;ii to Ann Arlmr, JSaitk- 
Creek. I'ontiac. and e\en Detroit, and often, 
as has heen stated, this settlement received its 
mail at l.ain.tjshnrij or Owosso for a consid- 
eralile iieriod. 

INCIDKNTS OK l.IFK IN THE SKTTLE.M EXT.S. 

.\s far as crime and lawlessness were con- 
cerned, the Clinton county settlements were 
unusually fortunate. .-\s has been seen hereto- 
fore, the ixjoplc who came to Clinton county 
I)rou,s;'ht with them hahits of thrift and indus- 
try and a disivisition favorable to orderly ci\ic 
life and morality. .Some instances are recorded, 
however, of incidents and crimes which at the 
time were the sensations of the dav of Clinton 
county. It is recorded that the four-year-old 
son of Silas Parks, who settled in northern 
Bingfham in 1830. mysteriously disappeared 
one dav under peculiar circumstances. The 
father, answering' in(|uiries for the lost chilil. 
stated that he had set out to \isit a neig-hbor's 
house and had not been seen since. A search- 
ing; ]iartv was org^anized among the settlers, 
and .ifter searching for over a week all ho])c 
of iinding the child was abandoned, and some 
of them reached the conclusion that Parks 
had. in a passi(m. cnmiuitted a crime against 
the child and hidden the body. He stoutly 
maintained that the Indians "must have done 
it." which explanation was not accepted by 
the settlers. However, there was no jirosecu- 
tion. 

Reference has already been inade to the sit- 
uation in P.ath township, during the first years 
after the settlement. It has l)een stated that 
the first settlers in Bath townshii) numbered 
families who preferred hunting and fishing, 
rather than the arduous labor of clearing land, 
'ibis class ni settlers was opposed to a further 
settlement of the township, and resorted to all 
sorts of deception and duress ti> drive new- 
comers from the locality. In many places no- 
tices were posted upon trees, bearing' warnin.g 
that no ha\- or wood .should be mt upon the 

?,3 



]>remiscs. 'i'liis deceived a great many of the 
newcomers. Now and then a new settler re- 
cei\ed a threatening notice, ordering him to 
leave. Roads which had lieen o]3ened were 
blocked ))y trees, and in many instances land 
seekers were annoyed by this lawless gang un- 
til they left the township. 

The first school of Hath was held in a little 
cabin ])rol)ably in the summer of 1840. .\ 
minister of the Christian church planned to 
hold inililic worship at this school house and 
several of the vouth of the neighborh(X)d pre- 
pared a warm receptif>u for this advance agent 
of the gosjiel. and built an exceedingly .sfreat 
fire in the tireplace, which was of the primi- 
tive ])attern. Ihc result was that the building 
took fire rmd was destroyed. 

Reference has alreadv been had to the gang 
of coui:terfeiters who were apprehended whii^ 
])m-sning their illegimate calling in 0\'id town- 
ship. Likewise in Dallas in the earh' da\'s. 
there was a bogus neig'hborhood in the vicin- 
ity of Stony creek, where counterfeit Mexican 
dollars were niannfactured in considerable 
numl')ers. Some of the criminals were cap- 
tiu'ed and imprisoned, and others escaped, liut 
this ended the money-coining business in Dallas 
township. 

Tt may be interesting to know that at oiie 
time. ()li\'e township came near to indulging 
in a lynching. .\ lawless person named 
I'letchcr. who claimed to be a blacksmith, but 
whose ])rincipal occupation seemed to be lar- 
ceny, had annoyed the settlers aMisiderably. 
.\s a side issue. Fletcher began jxiisoning' the 
cattle. He had been inuu'shed before, but the 
temjicr of die Olive citizens here reached a cli 
max. and a public meeting was held where it 
was proposed to hang said Fletcher by the 
neck imtil dead. It was proposed that lots 
should be flrawn to see who .should have the 
honor of leadin,g an expedition that was to 
perform this public duty. One man of the 
party was especially desirous of doing the cx- 
eaition business himself, and ofifcred to take 
the job of killing Fletcher and offered a guar- 
anty- that the job would be thoroug^hly done. 
but before the plans of this "vigilence com- 



;20 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



mittee" had been executed, the civil authori- 
ties obtained possession of Fletcher and he 
was conveyed to the county jail. The situa- 
tion was not satisfactory to the settlers, who 
had planned vengeance, and a party of them, 
disguised as Indians, burned Fletcher's house. 
There was some talk of going in a body to the 
jail and taking him from the custody of the 
law and dealing with him as the party had 
planned. Fletcher ultimately escaped from 
jail, but it is safe to say he never retunicfl to 
Olive township. 

Speaking of sensational events, Henr)' .\. 
Smith's bear fight, which occurred in October 
of 1856, "the smoky fall." was considered at 
the time a great event. The story as recr)rded 
is as follows: Smith, who resided in Cireen- 
bush township, started on a bear hunt, taking 
with him a small black dog, and on approach- 
ing a wet swamp, a l)ear appeared, but es- 
caped. Shortly after, the second bear was 
seen, and Smith wounded it by a shot, and the 
animal started away, followed by the dog. 
Smith hurried to the front, but suddenly there 
appeared across his path the third bear, and a 
shot was taken by the hunter at this one. 
Three shots were fired, when suddenly the 
order of things was reversed, and the bear be- 
gan to hunt Smith. Quarters were too close 
to permit an escape and Smith and the bear 
engaged in a close encounter. The hunter, 
clubbing his gam, knocked the bear to the 
ground, but demoralized the weapon in so do- 
ing. The animal was soon on its feet, and 
Smith was forced to fight it without weapons. 
He finally managed to escape from the 
clutches of the animal and got hold of a heavy 
stick, and with that he killed his antogonist. 
Reference has lieen made to the "dark days 
of 1856." During this year, in the month of 
October, great forest fires traveled thrciugh 
the county, and for days the atmosphere was 
dark with smoke. The i6th day of October 
is remembered as the "dark day," when ob- 
jects at a distance of two rods could not be 
distinguished and lights were necessary in the 
houses. Fish died in the streams, and there 
was great suffering throughout the county. 



The more superstitious, feeling sure that the 
last day had arrived, made preparations for 
the resurrection. 

CIVIL HISTORY OF CM.VTOX COINTV. 

At the present time. Clinton county is con- 
tained within the eighth congressional district, 
which includes, besides Clinton countv, Sagi- 
naw, Tuscola and Shiawassee counties. James 
Fordnc}-, of Saginaw, is the congressman from 
this district. As to the federal district court 
jurisdiction, this county is included in the 
southern division of the eastern district of 
Michigan. This division includes, besides 
Clinton, the counties of Branch. Calhoun, 
Hillsdale, Ingham, Jackson. Lapeer, Lena- 
wee. Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, St. Clair, 
Sanilac. \Vashtenaw and ^^'^ayne. Judge 
Henry H. Swan presides over this district : the 
sessions of the court being held at the federal 
c<iurt building in the city of Detroit. Clinton 
is included with the county of Gratiot in the 
twenty-ninth judicial circuit of Michigan, and 
for the past six years the Honorable George 
P. Stone, of Ithaca, .Michigan, has presided 
o\-er the circuit court for the county of Clin- 
ton. On January i, 1906, Kelly S, Searl. also 
of Ithaca, Michigan, assumed the judicial du- 
ties in this circuit. .A.S to representation in the 
state legislature, Clinton county constitutes a 
single representative district ; Levi P. Part- 
low, of Eagle township, being the present mem- 
l)er from Clinton. Clinton and Gratiot coun- 
ties comprise the nineteenth senatorial district, 
l)eing represented at the present time by 
Townsend .\. Ely, of Gratiot county. 

The county of Clinton was once a part of 
\\'a\ne. which was first recognized as a civil 
organization by W'inthrop Sargent, acting 
governor of the Northwest Territory, August 
18, 1796. The boundaries of the county of 
Wayne were very indefinite at that time : it 
being provided that the line should nni from 
Cuyahoga river in Ohio westward to the east- 
ern boundary line of Illinois and thence north 
to the boundary separating the territory of the 
United States and Great Britain: practically 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



521 



incliulins^ all the territory between Lakes Erie. 
St. Clair and Huron on the east, and Lake 
Michigan on the west. In later years, Cass, 
whose connection with the development of the 
Northwest Territory has been referred to, by 
])roclamation in 18 15. limited the county of 
Wayne to include that portiun of Michiofa;! 
Territor\- to which the Indian titles ha-' been 
extinguished by treaty or otherwise, which in- 
cluded at that time one part of Clinton cnunly. 
January 12, 18 19. according to a proclama- 
tion made by Governor Cass, the count_ of 
Oakland was created and made to includ<. -^ix 
tiers of townships north from the base line. 
and extending westward to a line which is unw 
the principal meridian. This excluded Clinton 
county. Oakland county was organized in 
1 8 JO. but by another proclamation of Gover- 
nor Cass's of September 10, 1822. it was lim- 
ited to its present dimensions, and Lai)eer. 
Sanilac, Saginaw and Shiawassee comities 
were al.so brought into historic existence by 
the proclamation of 1819, and were added to 
(~)akland county, provided also that the county 
included "all the country not included within 
the lioundaries of any of the before described 
counties, to which the Indian title was ex- 
tinguished by the treaty of Saginaw." The 
treaty of Saginaw referred to. has been men- 
tioned in connection with the .-idministration 
()♦ Governor Cass. 

Ry this clause referred to and cjuoted Clin- 
ton countv was included, nominally at least, as 
])art of Oakland county, and so remained until 
1830, when the county of Kalamazoo was or- 
ganized by legislative enactment; the act con- 
taining the pn^visions. "that the counties of 
Calhoun, Barry and Eaton, and all the country 
King north of township four north of the ;-.ase 
line, and west of the principal meridian, and 
south of the county of Michilimackinac, and 
east of the line between ranges twelve and 
thirteen and Lake Michigan, where said range 
line intersects the lake, shall be attached to 
and compose a part of the county of Kalama- 
zoo, for judicial purposes." .\ccording to the 
terms of the act referred to. the county of Clin- 



ton was a part of the county of Kalamazoo, 
and so remained for upwards of five vears. 

P>v act of the legislature, approved March 
2. 183 1, the county of Clinton came into ex- 
istence. The county of Clinton was made to 
include territory bounded as follows; "West 
of the meridian and east of the line between 
ranges four and five west of the meridian, 
south of the line between townships eight and 
nine north of the base line, north of the line 
between townships four and five north of the 
base line, containing sixteen townships, ac- 
cording to the United States survey." 

.\t the same time, the counties of Ottawa, 
Ionia ami Kent were given a separate existence. 
It must not be understood that the county of 
Clinton was organized for civil, administrative 
and judicial purposes at this time, for Clinton 
was attached to Kent county for judicial pur- 
poses by an act of the legislature of 1836. and 
.so remained until March 18, 1837, when the 
county of Shiawassee received its existence. 
Then Clinton was attached to Shiawassee for 
judicial purposes, and so remainetl until Clin- 
ton was organized in 1839. 

.\s regards the United States survey, the 
principal meridian line was run by a deputy 
surveyor named James \\'ampler. as early as 
1824. to a point as far north as the center of 
Clinton, and the south half of the county was 
surveyed and divideil into the subdivisions 
provided by the federal system, in 1827. The 
northern portion of the county was surveyed 
in 183 1 by a deputy L'nited States surveyor. 

It is probabl)- true that John B. Cushway, 
who tradition holds was the proprietor of the 
trading post in Esse.x township on the Maple 
river, prior to the arrival of the Campau, set- 
tled prior to 1826. which is the date given for 
the establishment of this trading post by 
George Camjxiu. No permanent settlement 
was made in the county prior to 1832, as far 
as the records disclose, so that it will be seen 
the survey of the county into townships and 
their subdivisions, according to the United 
States system, precedetl tlie occupancy by set- 
tlers, unless Cushway Ije excepted. 



522 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



A CHAPTER OF COURT HISTORY. 

COL- NT Y ANIl CIRCTIT COURT.S OF CLINTONS 
jrDICIARV. 

The ojoxeniim'iU and means nt administra- 
tion of law provided for the Xorthwest Terri- 
tory during the successive stages of its prog- 
ress by the federal congress, included a ju- 
dicial system of a considerable degree of per- 
fection. The Michigan territory, at an early 
date, had a system of courts of original and 
appellate jurisdiction. 'I"he head of this terri- 
torial judiciar\- was the supreme court of the 
Territory of Michigan. This court was made 
up of three judges appointed and commis- 
sioned bv the president of the United States, 
and its powers and jurisdiction were subjects 
of a series of acts and executive proclama- 
tions. Generally speaking, this court was 
given exclusive jurisdiction in civil cases 
where the amount in controversy exceeded one 
thousand dollars; and exclusive jurisdiction in 
suits for divorce and alimony, and in eject- 
ment of actions. In criminal matters, this su- 
l)reme court had exclusive jurisdiction in 
cases where the laws provided capital punish- 
ment. This court had appellate jurisdictioi 
o\er the countv courts and were authorized to 
issue the well-known common law extraordi- 
nary writs, such as habeas corpus, mandamus, 
certiorari error, etc. The county courts, with 
which we are more directly concerned, were 
established for the territory as early as 1815. 
These courts were likewise subjects of legis- 
lation during the years of their existence, and 
the supreme court and territorial governor 
were given supervisor)- powers over thei-n. Tn 
general, the county courts had exclusive juris- 
diction o\-er the civil matters at law or in 
equity, where the amount involved exceeded 
the jurisdiction of the courts of justice of the 
peace and did not exceed one tln-iusand dol- 
lars. In criminal offenses not punishable by 
capital punishment, the county courts had ex- 
clusive jurisdiction, and appeals from the jus- 
tice courts to the county courts were author- 
ized. 



County courts consisted of one chief justice 
and two associate justices, two of which con- 
stituted a quorum. These courts were abol- 
ished in 1833 and a county court was re-estab- 
lished in 1S46, after Michigan had become a 
state.. On November 3. 1846. an election was 
held in Clinton county, according to the terms 
of the new law. and Jesse F. Turner was 
elected county judge, and William Shepard 
was chosen as second judge. Judge Turner, 
formerlv of Rochester. New York, settled at 
DeWitt in 1839. He assumed judicial honors 
before his admission to the bar. which oc- 
curred in 1830. This court held its first ses- 
sion in the ui)])er room of David Scott's house, 
on April 5. 1847. Hon. Jesse F. Turner presid- 
ing. There was no business before the court 
which adjourned on the same day. Juflge 
Tinner resigned in 183 1. and the second 
judge, Hon. William Shepard. jiresided o\-er 
the county court from that time until January 
I. 1832, when the county court ceased to ex- 
ist bv operation of law. By the constitution 
of 1830. the state, exclusive of the upper pen- 
insula, was di\-ided into eight judicial cir- 
cuits, the eighth including Barry. Kent. Ot- 
tawa. Ionia and Clinton. As will be .seen, the 
act organizing Clinton county. a])iiroved on 
March 12. 1839. provided that the circuit for 
the county of Clinton should be held at the 
county seat, at such place as the county com- 
missioners should provide. Up to this time, 
the village of DeWitt had been the county 
seat. The legislative council of the Territory 
of Michigan in 1830 authorized the territorial 
governor to appoint commissioners, whose 
dutv was to locate county seats throughout 
the territory, .\cting- Govenior Stevens T. 
^[ason, accordingly on September 3. 1833. 
named and authorized James Kingsley. 
Stephen Y. R. Trowbridge and Charles J. 
Lanman as commissioners to locate the county 
seat of Cliiiton county. Thereafter, on Sep- 
tember 22., 1835, by proclamation, the gover- 
nor confirmed the report of the commissioners, 
which established the county seat uymn "the 
west half of tlie southeast quarter of section 
five, in townshi]) five north of range two 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



. 523 



west." Thi.s description covered llie present 
site of DeW'itt village. As has been noted, 
from 1830 until March 23, 1836, Clinton 
county, as unorganized territory, was attached 
to Kalamazix) county. Upon the latter date, 
the town.ship of DeWitt was created and im- 
mediately attached to Kent anmty. Welcome 
J. Partelo was the supervisor from DeW'itt 
township, which then included the entire area 
of Clinton county, and he attended the session 
of the hoard of supervisors of Kent county at 
(Irand Rapids, Michigan. Later, in 1837. 
Shiawassee county was organied and Clinton 
county was attached to Shiawassee and so re- 
mained until March u. 1839. 

The first session i>f the circuit court for 
Clinton county, as then constituted, was held 
at DeW'itt. the county seat, at the house of 
David Scott, as has been stated. The date 
of holding the first term had been fixed as Oc- 
tolier J. 1S40. lion. Ilirani \\'ilc<ix. associate 
justice, was present, but the other two mem- 
bers of the court. Hon. Charles W'. Whipple 
and Hon. Joseph Seaver. di<l not .ippcar and 
consequently court was adjournefl to October 
9. A second adjournment postponed this ses- 
sion to December 17. 1840. On the latter date, 
another adjournment was had to the regular 
term on Mav 7. 1841. On this date, the Hon. 
Charles W. Whipple, a nienibcr of the .Michi- 
gan su])reme court bench, and Iliram Wilcox 
and Joseph Seaver. associate justices of Clin- 
ton county, were in attendance. .\ grand jury 
had lieen summoned to attend, composed of 
the following iiersons : Harvey .Mexander. 
lohii H. Andrews. Daniel II. Blood, f'irove 
Coo])er. Be'ijamin Carpenter, (iilbert Cush- 
man. Oliver Doty. I'rancis Francisco. Daniel 
I'erguson. Jr.. Hugh Haggertx'. John C.ould. 
Flisha Gunnison, Levi D. Jenison. Allen 
T>oinisbur>-. Thomas Meyers. John Jessup. 
John W. ^^errihew. Welcome J. Partelo. Jon- 
athan R. Pearsall. John Parker. Charles Stev- 
ens. \\'illiam S. Swarthout and William TL 
Webb, the traditional twenty-four. This jury 
presented .several indictments anil were dis- 
charged. The county had no prosecuting at- 
torney at this time, and consequently Calvin 



C. Parks was then and there appointed b\- the 
court to serve in that capacity, for that term 
of coiut. .\t this term of court no matters of 
imiiortance were litigated. Koi)ert I>. Dan- 
iels appeared before the court and made his 
declaration of intention to become a citizen of 
the United States: a cou])le of ap]ieals from 
justice court were brought before the court, 
and orders were made by the court requiring 
the returns from the lower courts to l)e 
amended. In the attachment case of Ephraim 
I'tlev vs. Joseph Cook, the default of the de- 
fendant was entered for his non-appearance; 
in a divorce case, a six weeks" jniblication was 
ordered by the court. The case of The People 
vs. Lvman Webster, indicted for emliezzle 
ment and on motion of the prosecuting at- 
torney, an order was made ref|uiring the re- 
spondent to enter into a recognizance in the 
Sinn of three hundred dollars with a surety 
in the sum of two hundred dollars, conditioned 
upon the appearance of said Lyman \Vebster 
at the next term of court. 

.\ petit jur\- was called for the first time for 
the October term. 1841. The jjcrsons sum- 
moned were as follows; 

Benjamin Merrihew. F.dwanl Higl)ee. 
Henrv Ji])son. John McCollum. Calvin Bar- 
ber. Henrv Giblis. Jr.. James Cunsaly. Rich- 
ard Lewis. Lyman Webster. I'~lijah 1. Stone. 
Joab Dobbins, George .\. Merrihew. .\. B. 
Cranson. Jesse Olmstead. Xathan Case. Bar- 
nev .Mien. Morris Cushman. Ransom Reed. 
[ohn Ferdon. Peter Finch. Reuben Rogers. 
.Smith Parker and F. W. Cronkite. Jud,ge 
Whiiijile was not in attendance at this term, 
which was also adjourned. Judge Whipple 
])resided over the Clinton circuit court, as they 
constituted, until 1847. Judge Edward Mundy 
succeeded to the office and remained until 
1851. Hon. George Martin followed Judge 
Mundy. In 1837 Judge Louis S. Lovell was 
elected circuit judge and ])resi(led for many 
vears. The successive presiding jud.ges of the 
circuits which have included Clinton county 
since the expiration of Judge Ij^vell's ex- 
tended term, are Vernon H. Smith, of Ionia. 
Sherman B. Dalioll. of St. Johns. George P. 



,24 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



Stone and Kelly S. Searl. of Ithaca, the latter 
presiding for the first time on Januar\- 2. 
1906. 

THE I'ROBATE COIRT. 

The material progress of the county is well 
illustrated by the volume of business done by 
the probate court of the county at the present 
time, taken in comparison with that of an 
earlier day. Hiram W. Stowell was elected 
probate judge at the April election of 1834. 
He held this ofifice. more important at present 
than during that period, until 1834. The rec- 
ords disclose that the first proceeding had be- 
fore this tribunal was the appointment of Be- 
linda Cushman as guardian of the minors. 
Mial and Charles B. Cushman. heirs of Ira 
Cushman. of DeW'itt township. The second 
record is that of the appointment of Henry 
Moon as guardian for the minor children of 
David T. Place. This record is of date Janu- 
ary 10, 1842. On March 26. 1842. Matilda 
and Cahin Mar\in. of De\\'itt. were granted 
letters of administration o\er the estate of 
Eleazer 'M. Mar\in, deceased, and these par- 
ties refusing to accept the trust. Seth P. jVIar- 
vin. a well-known citizen of the county, was 
appointed. Har\ey Alexander, W. \\'. Webb, 
and Ephraim H. Utley were named apprais- 
ers. The will of Joseph Eddy, of Eagle town- 
ship, was the first to be offered for prol)ate, as 
far as the records disclose. On June 6, 184-'. 
Sophia Eddy was named administrator of the 
estate of Abram Eddy, deceased. Theodore 
H. Chapin succeeded Judge Stowell as probate 
judge of Clinton county, and on January 21,. 
1843, held the first session of court of his 
term when he examined the final accounts of 
the administrator in the estate of Eleazer 
'Marvin. 

The office of the ])robate court was held in 
one of the county buildings on the public 
square of De\\'itt village, until the removal 
of the county seat to St. Johns. At first the 
court held its session in Plumstead hall at St. 
Johns, until the erection of the first county 
buildings at the latter place. Here the ofifice 



remained until the present cnurthouse was 
completed in 1871. 

Succeeding Probate Judge Theodore H. 
Chapin. the succession to the office of Probate 
Judge is as follows : Levi Tawnson, elected 
November 3rd, 1846, died in July of 1849; J- 
Baker, acting Judge of Probate for remainder 
of term of Levi Tawnson, appointed July 14th, 
1849: Cortland Hill, the Bengal pioneer, who 
was elected in 1850 and re-elected in 1852; 
Seth P. Mar\in. who was elected in 1856; 
Henry ^L Perrin. who served from i860 to 
1864: William Sickels, elected November 
i8th, 1864; Porter K. Perrin, who served un- 
til 1872, when Joel H. Cranson was elected to 
the office, assuming ofificial duties on January 
1st. 1873. Judge Cranson served in this hon- 
orable capacity until January i8th, 1893, when 
the present incumbent, Charles M. Merrill, who 
was elected in Xovemlaer of 1892, began his 
career as Judge of Probate. Judge Merrill 
was chosen for another term in November, 
1904. his present term extending to January 
1st. 1909. 

Le\'i Tawnson. the third probate judge, was 
an attorney at law, having been admitted to 
the liar at Ann .\rl)or in Washetaw county. 
In 1842 he was appointed jinisecuting attorney 
of Clinton county, so remaining until 1848. 
when he became judge of probate. He died 
at DeWitt in July of 1849. 

Theodore H. Chapin. the second probate 
judge of Clinton county, came to Michigan in 
1840 from the state of New York. He had 
practiced law in that state and was a veteran 
of the bar when he settled at DeWitt in Clinton 
county. After the termination of his public 
oftice. Mr. Chapin moved to Allegan county. 
Joe Baker was admitted to the l)ar in Eaton 
county in 1845. He practiced at Portland in 
Ionia county and in 1847 located at DeWitt. 
Me was the first prosecuting attorney of the 
county elected under the constitution of T830. 
He practiced law at St. Johns after the re- 
mo\-al of the county seat to that village, and 
from St. Johns he went to Grand Ha\en and 
from there to Muskegon. Cortland Hill, of 
Bengal, who served as probate judge for two 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



525 



teinis. heiiij; first elected Xo\eiiiljer slh, 1X50, 
has been mentionetl in connection with the set- 
tlement and development of that township. 
Seth I'. Mar\in. who was elected probate judge 
in 183^). was a member of the medical profes- 
sion, having- first settled with his father. Cal- 
\in Marvin, in W'atertnwn in 1835, and soon 
after remo\ed t(^ the village of DeWitt. 
Henry M. Perrin. who served from iKlio to 

1864. was one nf the prominent and influential 
citizens of ClintdU cnunty, and a memlier of 
the well known firm of I'errin iS; P.aldwin, of 
which he was the seniur member. He was a 
native of Vermont and a graduate of Dart- 
niciuth College, and a student at the Albany 
Law Schail. Ijeing admitted to the bar in 1854. 
He came to St. Johns in 1857. where he estab- 
lished himself as an attorney at law. Later he 
became engaged in a real estate and money 
loaning business. He served the senatorial 
district which includes Clinton county, in the 
state legislature. l)eing elected to that offlce in 

1865. During his public career, he served as 
supervis<ir of Bingham township and as presi- 
dent of the village of St. Johns. Porter K. 
Perrin, who followed W'illiam Sickels as pro- 
bate judge. Ijeing elected in November of 1866. 
was a brother of Henry M. Perrin abo\-e men- 
tioned. Mr. Perrin. like his brother, received 
his professional education at .\lbany Llniver- 
sity. }ie was a veteran of the War of the Re- 
bellion, and on his return to Clinton county 
at the close of his martial career, remained in 
business at St. Johns nntil a few months prior 
to his denth. which occurred recentlv. 

Judge Joel H. Cranson. wiio was prolxite 
judge of the county for so many years, was a 
de.scendani of Massachusetts stock. He was 
born in Orleans county. Xew York, and reared 
in Calhoun county. Michigrm. He was ad- 
mitted to the bar at Kalamazoo in 1857, lo- 
cating in St. Johns village shortly after that 
time. He enlisted in 1863 in Companv I of 
the Twenty-third Michigan and took part in 
the Georgia campaign. He received his honor- 
able discharge in June of 1866. Upon return- 
ing to St. Johns, he entere<l into ])artnership 
with (ien. ()li\er L. Spaulding. ;ind in 187J 



was elected judge of probate, as has been be- 
fore mentioned. Judge Cranson was a mem- 
ber of the democratic i)art\-. Throughout his 
extended public career he maintained the high- 
est standard of public service. Cranson lived 
to a ripe age, spending his last days in the state 
of California. 

The Honorable Charles M. Merrill, who 
succeeded Cranson as judge of probate, and still 
remains in charge of that ot^ce, was born in 
Chatham. .Medina county. Ohio. His grand- 
father, Richard .Merrill, was of Xew Hamp- 
shire stock and a clas.smate of Daniel Webster 
at Dartmouth College. In 1867, Floyd Mer- 
rill, the father of Charles M. Merrill, took up 
his residence in Clinton county. Judge Mer- 
rill entered the law dq^artment of the Univer- 
sity of Michigan in 1874, and after finishing 
his course returned to St. Johns and entered 
into practice with O. L. Spaulding. He also 
fomied a partnership with Anthony Cook, 
which lasted for two years. Later, on January 
1st. 1891. the firm of Fedewa & Merrill was 
formed. Judge Merrill has served as super- 
visor (jf his township, as justice of the peace, 
as prosecuting attorney, and has been promi- 
neiu in political affairs of Clinton county. 

PROH.\TE RECORDS SHOW PROGRESS. 

.As has l)een suggested by the records of the 
probate office of the different periods, when 
compared, indicate the material progress of 
the county. Robert E. Craven, of Duplain, 
whose connection with the development of 
that section of the county has been referred to, 
died in 1855. The inventory of his property 
filed in the probate office, indicates diat his es- 
tate consisted of the east half of the north-west 
one-tpiarter of section eleven of Duplain. with 
a steam mill thereon, valued at one thousand 
dollars. Among the items of his personal es- 
tate mentioned, was one galvanized watch. 
\alued at eight dollars; one set of joiner's tools, 
valued at twenty-five dollars: one "pistole," 
valued at three dollars, .\mong the few lxx)ks 
of his library, the inventory names Homer's 
lliail and Webster's Dictionarv. Bv the rec- 



526 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



ords of 1857. in the matter of the estate of 
John Sweet, of W'atertown. forty acres of land, 
being the northeast one-quarter of the south- 
east one-quarter of section thirty-five, was val- 
ued at five Inmdred dollars. The personal es- 
tate consisted of one grain cradle: on pitch- 
fork; one hoe: and one cow-bell. Another in- 
stance of the low valuation placed upon land 
during that [period, is that shown by the pro- 
bate records \\herein one hundred and twenty 
acres of land on .section fifteen in Bengal town- 
sh\\) was valued at twelve hundred dollars 
onl}-. The record of another estate shows three 
hundred and ninety-eight acres of land on sec- 
tions twent\-tw(). twenty-three and twenty-six 
in the township of Victor, valued at the meagre 
sum of nine hundred and ninety-five dollars. 
The personal estate is inventoried as follows: 
Two yoke of oxen, at forty dollars : eight drag 
teeth: two ox yokes: and one rifle. 

In 1859, eighty-nine acres of land located in 
the township of DeWitt. on section one. was 
sold at a probate sale for one thousand dollars. 
Bv another probate sale, the nordi one-half of 
the southwest one-quarter of section twenty- 
three of Riley township was sold for four hun- 
dred dollars, being appraisefl at three hundred 
and twentv dollars. In another estate, probated 
in 1858, among the personal effects inventoried. 
are : One coffee milt : one brass candle-stick : one 
iron candle-stick. .\s late as 1861. the probate 
records discl(jse that forty acres of land on 
section thirteen of l^allas town.ship was ap- 
praised at two huntlred and fifty dollars. In 
1863. fort\- acres of land on section twenty-two 
in Lebaniin township was valued at five hundred 
and si.xty-three dollars and sold the next year 
for five hundred and fifty dollars. During the 
same year, two Inuulrcil ,'ind forty acres of land 
in Westphalia town.shii) was valued at nineteen 
hundred dollars. It may be mentioned, as a 
matter of interest in this connection, that in 
1863 the estate of Lorenzo Evans was proliated, 
and that the property of the estate, as shown 
by the inventory, consisted of die following 
items : Back-pay as a soldier in the service of 
the L'nited States, ninety-one dollars: bounty, 
seventv-five dollars. 



We now begin to see a decided increase in 
the ])roperty values in the county. In 1874. 
one eighty-acre tract is inventoried at twenty- 
eight hundred dollars. In 1879. eighty acres 
of land, described as the north one-half of the 
southeast one-quarter of section twelve in the 
township of Essex, was valued at three thou- 
sand four hundred dollars. In 1884, sixty-six 
acres of land on section eleven of Ovid town- 
ship was estimated as worth five thousand si.x 
hundred ten dollars. In 1894. thirty-five 
acres of land in Duplain township was valued 
at one thousand two hundred twenty-five dol- 
lars. 

Instead of the farm tools and implements 
consisting of o.xen. grain cradles, scythes, ox 
vokes. etc., the inventories of personal estates 
contain lists of mowing machines, reapers. 
grain binders, horse rakes, land cultivators, 
threshing machines and traction eng-ines. 

One estate, that of a W'atertown farmer, 
which was admitted to probate in 1904. shows 
eightv acres of land on section twenty-fi\e of 
that township, valued at se\-enty-five dollars an 
acre: eighty-fi\'e acres of land on section thirty- 
three, valued at sixty-five dollars an acre: and 
a personal estate estimated at $2,727.60: mak- 
ing the total valuation of the estate. $14,252.60. 
The item of the i)ersonal estate mentioned in 
the iinentoiy. when compared with those of 
former days, shows the rapid stride forward 
that has been made in Clinton county during 
the past few years. In this inventory are 
named, a flouble buggy, a top buggy, a hay 
loader, a grain binder, a hay tedder, a two-horse 
Hike, wheeled cultivator, land roller, mowing 
machine, disk harrows, cutters, and hay car and 
ropes. It is not to be understood that this 
estate mentioned is the largest one that has 
been probated in this county during recent 
years, but as ty])ical for the ])urp()ses for which 
the facts taken from the records are used. 

COIXTV ORG.VXIZ.VTIOX. 

.\s has been said, the act authorizing the 
organization of Clinton county into an adminis- 
trative district, was passed by the legislature in 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



:>-/ 



i<S_^(j. riiis was hut six years after tlic apijcar- 
ance of Captain Scott in DeW'itt township, as 
we now (lesignatc it — then on tlie hank of the 
Looking- Glass in .section fi\c <if town.sliip five 
north of ranfje two west. At tliis time — when 
the conntv was organized, httle material ])ro- 
gress hafl heen made. What settlements there 
were, w ere scattereil and i.solated ; means of 
communication were in a most primitive state, 
and the people generally in hard circumstances 
an<l hardly ahle to l^ear tlie hurden of additional 
taxation. Nevertheless, the idea of independ- 
ent county organization was favoral)ly recei\ed. 
The organic act provided for the election of 
the first county officers at the .April election, fol- 
lowing the date of the approval of the act. 
Marcli 1-'. iH.V). In the regular course of af- 
fairs, these county officers .should have heen 
elected at tiie Xovemher election, hut the act 
provided that tlie terms of office .should expire 
as though the election had heen held on the first 
Tuesday after the first Monday of the previous 
Noxemher. This county election, lield on .\pril 
I, 1839. resulted in the following persons heing 
cho.sen : 

Sherifif — William !■'. Jenison. 

Clerk— Seth P. Marvin. 

Register of Deeds — Milo H. Turner. 

Treasurer — John Gould. 

Judge of Proliate — Hiram W. Stowell. 

.\ssociate Judges — Hiram Wilcox and 
Joseph Sever. 

County Commissioners — Calvin Marvin, 
r.jihraim H. Utley and Robert E. Craven. 

It is well to keep in mind that at this date. 
Michigfan was under the ci institution of 1837, 
so-called, which was adopted by tlie constitu- 
tional convention as.sembled at the city of De- 
troit, then the capital of Michigan territorial 
government, on the second Monday in ALay in 
the year 1839. This first constitution, although 
not so lenglhy and not containing the specific 
provisions and details as the "New Constitu- 
tion" of 1850. nevertheless, if the digression is 
permissible, was a model organic law in many 
res])ects sui)eri<ir to the lalxirious and volumin- 
ous document which su|)planted it later. By 
this first constitution, provisions for county ad- 



ministratidu differed in many respects from 
those set forth in the present constitution. ,\s to 
the judicial system, this organic law ])rovided 
that each organized county should have a pro- 
hate court: associate judges of circuit courts, 
.and judges of county courts, together with pro- 
bate judges, were to be elected to those re- 
spective offices bv the f|ualified electors of the 
county for a term of four years. As to the 
ajiplication of these provisions to Clinton 
county, reference has l)een had to that histor)-. 
,\s to county offices, some exjjlanation is neces- 
sary, in order that the civil history of the first 
stage of the county's existence may l^e under- 
stood. This fundamental law of 1837 pro- 
\ided that in each organized county, once in 
two vears. the electors thereof should choose a 
sheriff, a county treasurer, f)ne or more coro- 
ners, a register of deeds. Each county was 
given a prosecuting attorney, who with the at- 
torney general of the state, was appfiinted by 
the governor and confirmed by the senate. .\1- 
though township officers are mentioned in the 
first constitution generally, no specific provision 
seems to be contained therein, excqit as to 
justices of the peace, which are provided for 
as a part of the judicial system. The office of 
countv commissioner was created in i8t8. each 
countv being provided a su])ervising lx)ar(l con- 
sisting of three members api>iinted by the 
governor, and who received an annual .salan.- 
of thirty dollars. In 1827. the office of county 
commissioner was abolished and supplanted by 
a board of su])ervisors. thus localizing the repre- 
sentation in countv administration. In 1838. 
however, the board of county commissioners 
was re-instated, and in consequence, among the 
officers first chosen for the county under the 
organizing act. three county commissioners 
were numbered. In 1842 this l)oard was finally 
abolished, and a board of supervis<irs restored. 
The board of county commissioners held its last 
session March 16. 1842. and on the succeeding 
Julv 4. the hoard of supervisors held a session. 
At that meeting, the representation was as fol- 
lows : 

DeWitt. Jesse F. Turner. 

Eagle. {)li\cr Doty. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



Westphalia, Anthony Kopp. 

Riley, Atwell Simmons. 

Olive, Daniel Ferguson. Jr. 

Ovid, Isaac V. Swarthout. 

Bingham, Stephen W. Downer. 

Bengal, Chauncey M. Stebbins. 

Greenbush. David I.yevy. 

Diiplain, Robert E. Craven. 

Reference to the story of the settlement must 
convince one that this board of supervisors 
was composed fif strong representative men. 
The townships of Watertown, Ossowa and 
Lebanon were not represented at this meeting. 
Before the history of the first proceedings of 
the board of supervisors is related, the story 
of the subdivision and organization of the town- 
ships should lie briefly reviewed in order to ac- 
count for the composition of the board, as it 
varied from time to time. However, before 
this narrative is handled, the administration of 
the Iward of county commissioners will be 
briefly reviewed. 

At the meeting of the commissioners, held at 
DeWitt on April lo, 1839, Ephraim H. Utley 
was made chairman, and County Clerk Seth P. 
Marvin was named as clerk of the sessions. 
One of the first matters to receive the attention 
of the board was the settlement of accounts be- 
tween Clinton and Shiawassee counties, whose 
administration had been carried on jointly for 
a time theretofore. April 21. 1839, was named 



as a date for a joint meeting of the two boards 
of commissioners to adjust matters. The meet- 
ing was adjourned to the house of Commis- 
sioner Utley in the village of DeWitt, on June 
loth following. The joint meeting referred 
to, arranged for the purpose of settling accounts 
loetween Clinton and Shiawassee, was not held 
until September 23, 1839. ^"'^1 ^ conclusion of 
negotiations was not reached until December 
24th, 1840. The allowance of wolf bounties 
was one of the first matters to be handled by 
this Ijoard and at the adjourned meeting the fol- 
lowing demands were audited and allowed : 

Wolf certificate to No-wab-ano $ 8.00 

Wolf certificate to Ash-ha-be 8.00 

Wolf certificate to Alonzo D. Brewster 8.00 
Wolf certificate to Alonzo Vaughan.. 48.00 

Account of David \\'atson 7.50 

Account of Timothy H. Petit 7.50 

Account of John Berr}- 5.00 

Account of E. H. Utley 5.50 

.\ccount of Seth P. Marvin 9-50 



Total $107.00 

Small as the amount of claims against the 
treasuiw of the new county was. it is true that 
any tax whatever was a burden upon the peo- 
ple of the county which they were scarcely able 
to bear comfortably. The tax assessment of 
the countx' as distributed among the various 
townshiijs in the vear 1839, was as follows: 



Township Town 

Tax. 

Ossowa $ 259.83 

DeWitt 162.96 

Watertown 314.46 

Bingham 302.03 

Lebanon 430.00 

Westjihalia 106.40 



Countv 




State 


Road 


Poor 




Tax. 




Tax. 


Tax. 


Tax. 


Total. 


$ 146.57 


$ 


154.81 


$ 143-05 




$ 1304.26 


205.05 




216.89 


821.93 




1406.83 


353-54 




Z77-^7 


1289.88 




2334-q5 


284.56 




300.43 


T41S.51 




2305-53 


1377-79 




436.20 


1720.37 


$25.00 


2989.36 


82.23 




93-57 


326.19 




614.39 



Total $1575-68 $2455.74 $1578-97 $6319.93 $25.00 $11955.32 



It will be seen by reference to the above table willi figures pertaining to the subject, the follow- 
that an effort was lieing made throughout the ing. taken f re mi the county records of 1839, shows 
county to improve and open highways, and heavy the c(]ualizcd valuation of property among the 
taxes were levied for that object. For comparison townships of the county for that period. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



529 



Towns. Acres. 

Ossowa 24501 

DeWitt 33919 

Watertown 55690 

Westphalia 14529 

Lel)aii(iii 67713 

Biiififhani 49 191 

Total 245543 

Computations based upon the alxDve figures 
show tliat at the above date land in Clinton 
county, as \alucd by the hoard of county com- 
missioners, was worth a fraction atove three 
dollars per acre. 

Returning to the administration of the board 
of county commissioners, at the joint session 
of the Ixiard of the two counties as atove 
nfentioned, in September. 1839. from computa- 
tions it was decreed that Clinton was in debt 
to Shiawassee in the sum of $305.97. One item 
of this indebtedness was as follows. "To a 
pr(i])ortion of ,$10.00 counterfeit liiil taken by 
Josiah Price, late treasurer, for taxes $4.50." 
To the above account $14.80 was credited to 
Clinton, being proportion of wolf bounties al- 
lowed !)}• the auditor general. It was also found 
that there was a sum in the common treasury 
and that Clinton's apportionment was $823.60. 
The townsiiip of Lel)anon being in default in 
the sum of $915.50. this sum was charged (or 
the claim was assigned) to Clinton. This trans- 
action left Clinton in debt $204.62. P>y figur- 
ing in wolf bounty and after other readjust- 
ments. Clinton's obligation was finally fixed at 
$291.17. The final settlement of the matter is 
shown by the following receipt : 

"$291.17. 

"Recei\e<l of the county commissioner of the 
county of Clinton, two hundred and ninety-one 
dollars and seventeen cents. l)eing the balance 
due to Shiawas.see county from tlie county of 
Clinton, a .settlanent of the contingent expenses 
of the counties up to December 18. 1840." 

"I.s.\.\c Castle, 
"Treasurer of Shiawassee county." 

"Corunnn. Jan. 13. 1841." 



Real 

Estate. 

$ 73503.00 

103833.00 

169817.00 

43587.00 

203139.00 

1 47946.00 



Personal 

Proiierty. 

$ 1105.00 

475300 

3130.00 

1 50.00 

2300.00 

1250.00 



Aggregate. 

$ 74608.00 
108586.00 
172947.00 
4373700 
205439.00 
149196.00 



$741825.00 $12688.00 .S754513.00 

At the session of the board of commissioners 
held in I'eljruary. 1840. the distinction between 
township and county paupers was abolished and 
it was ])ro\ide(l by resolution that thereafter the 
county should incur the entire expense of caring 
for the poor of the county. 

In a meeting of October 12. 1840, steps were 
taken by the board towards providing county 
l)uildings at DeW'itt \illage. A resolution was 
] Kissed a])propriating four hundred dollars for 
the erection of offices for the treasurer, clerk and 
register of deeds. The resolution also pro- 
vided that a sufficient amount should be raised 
for tlie building of a jail. The bids were sub- 
mitted, and Commissioner William L'tley was 
awarded the contract ujxin his bid of $439.00 
fur the county offices and $1,078.00 for the jail 
and dwelling. I^ter on. the board of commis- 
sioners had trouble enough concerning this con- 
tract. One thousand dollars had been advanced 
to L'tley towards erecting the projxjsed build- 
ings. At a later .session the board found by 
resolution that William Utley had violated his 
ciintract. The question of the power of the 
board to appropriate the funds for the puriK)ses 
al)ove mentioned, seems to have lieen raised, for 
the records show a resolution stating that the 
board had doul)ts about their authority to raise 
the funds provided by it in the premises with- 
out the vote of the electors of the county. 
Nevertheless. Utley was given an extension of 
time to complete the buildings, under penalty 
of having the Ixjard declare his contract for- 
feited. 

It may Ik? mentioned that on January 2S. 
1841, the lioard by resolution. apjx)inted 
Alonzo Brewster county surveyor "for the time 
being." 



330 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



Piefcre referring tu the first sessions nf the 
new bnanl nt supervisors, tlie facts pertaining 
to the tiiwnship organiz;itiiin must l)e detailed. 

FORMATION' OF TOWNSHIPS. 

Tlie first township in the county to 1)e given 
an organization was that of DeW'itt. The act 
of the legislature, approved March 23d, 1836, 
provided that the county of Clinton "be and 
the same hereby is. set off and organized into 
a separate township by the name of DeWitt, 
and the first town.ship meeting therein shall be 
held at the dwelling-hou.se of David Scott in 
said townshi])."' 

In 1837 the township of DeW'itt as then ex- 
isting, was (li\Mded along the line of the center, 
to-wit : on the nnrth anrl south line which forms 
the boundary lx;tween ranges two and three 
west of the meridian, and a new township was 
createfl in the western one-half: the legislative 
act providing "that the townships in ranges 
three and four west in the county of Clinton, 
lie a township 1)\- the name of W'atertown. and 
the people thereof shall be entitled to all the 
privileges incident to the inhabitants of or- 
ganized townships, and the first township meet- 
ing therein shall be held at the house of 
.\nthonv Xiles in the said township of Water- 
town." 

The ne.xt subdivision occurred in 1838. when 
by act of the legislature the north half of 
Watertown was set a]>art as a townshi]) : the act 
])roviding "that all that part of Clinton county 
designated In- the L'nited .States survey as town- 
.ships number se\en and eight north of range 
three and four west. l)e, and the same is here- 
bv set off and organizerl into a separate town- 
ship bv the name of W^andaugon, and the first 
township meeting therein shall be held at the 
house of George Campau in sairl township." 
Reference has been made to the fact that the 
Indian name given to diis township was un- 
satisfactory to the people thereof, and the result 
was that soon after the organization of this 
township, a secfind act was passed, which pro- 
vided "that portion of townships seven and 
eight north of ranges three and four west, ac- 



cording to the l'nited States surve_\'. be and 
the same hereby is set of¥ and organized bv the 
name of Lebanon, and the first town.ship meet- 
ing therein shall be held at the house of James 
Sowle, Jr." This last act was obscure in its 
provisions, and the actual change of name of 
this townshi]> from Wandaugon to Lebanon 
was not made until the following session of the 
legislature. .Vt the time the county of Clinton 
received its organization, as has been herein be- 
fore mentioned, there were but three townships 
in the county — DeWitt. Watertown and \\'an- 
daugon. DeWitt comprised the eastern half 
of the county from the meridian line westward 
to the west line of range two. Watertown 
comprised the present townshijis of Eagle. 
^\'estphalia and Riley, in addition to the ter- 
ritory comprised within the limits of the pres- 
ent tfiwnship. ^^'andaugon covered the rest. 

Shortlv after the organization of Clinton 
county, the northeast quarter, covering the |ires- 
ent townshi])S of 0\id. Bingham. Greenbush 
and Duplain. was organized b\- act of the legis- 
lature in 1839 as the township (if Bingham, 
b'ollowing this act was another which provided 
"that all that part of the county of Clinton 
designated in the United States survey as town- 
shi])s numbered five and six north of range 
numl)er one west, be and the .same hereby is. 
set off and organized into a township b\- the 
name of Os.sowa." In 184T. survev township 
six north of range two west, which was then 
the north half of the township of DeWitt. was 
organized into the townshi]) of 01i\e. leaving 
Dc\\'itt reduced to its ])resent dimensions. 

Watertown was further ixihiced in size by 
an act ])assed in 1839. which erected and or- 
ganized the townshi]) of West])halia. Two 
vears later, in 184 1, the township of Kagle was 
set off from Watertown, and the township of 
Rile\' was organized from the same territory, 
thus lea\ing Watertown witli its ])resent area. 
The townshi]) of Wandaugon (later named 
I.ebanon) remained with its original area for 
two years after its organization: in 1840 the 
toun-hi]) of iJengal being organized from its 
area. In 1S43 the ti^wnshi]) of D.allas was set 
a])art from Lebanon: the townshi]) of Esse.x 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



vV 



liavins^ I)een urbanized by act passed in i<^43- 
Tlic tinvnshii) nf Bingham cnmprised four sur- 
vev to\vnslii])s mentioned, until 1S40 when the 
east one-lialf of the nortli-eiist ()ne-(|uarter of 
Clinton county was sul]divide<l into the town- 
slii])S of Sena and Ovid. The name of Sena 
was changed to Dujilain in 1S41. In 1S42 the 
northern half of what was left of L'.ingham was 
org;anized intn the township of (Ireenhush. In 
this connection it is interesting to note that the 
original boundary line established Ix'tween 
(ireenbush and IJingham was the subject of sul)- 
secpient legislation. On April 7. 1846. an act 
was passed providing that "al! that part of the 
township of (jreenl)usli in the count\- ot Clin- 
ton, known and designated as the .south one- 
half of section thirty and .sections thirty-one. 
thirtv-two and thirty-three, be, and the same 
hereby is. attached to the townsliip ot Hingham 
in said count)." Hie three and one-half sec- 
tions mentioned remained ])art of Ringhain 
until 1S50, when the leg-islature passed an act 
rc-aiinexing tlii.s territory to Greenbush. 

The area of Ossowa was re<luced in 1843 
bv the orgruiization of the north half of its 
territory into the township of \'ictor, and the 
name Os.<owa was changed to Bath. P>y an 
act of the Legislature approved March i^tli. 
1847. it was provided "that all the territory 
desig^nated by the United States survey as town- 
ships numbers nine and ten north of range two 
west, l)e ant! the same liereby is attached to the 
township of Greenbush in the county of Clin- 
ton." Township nine north of range three 
west was likewise attached to the township of 
Essex, and tnwnships nine and ten north of 
range four west were annexed to the township 
of Lelianon. loiter townships numbers nine 
and ten north of range one west in the county 
of Gratiot were attached to and made a part 
of the township of Duplain, and townships 
numlier ten north of range three west in the 
county of Gratiot was made a part of the town- 
sliip of Essex. 

.\s a result of this legislation, the territor)' 
now comprise<l witliin the townsliips of North 
Shade and New Haven in Gratiot county were 
attaclied to Lelxanon township of this county; 



tiiwnshii)s b'ulton and .Xewark of Gratiot were 
attached to Ivssex of Clinton, and Washington 
and .Viirth .Star townships of Gratiot county 
were added to (Ireenbush in Clinton: and Elba 
and Hamilton townships in (irati(jt became a 
l)art of Duplain in Clinton. On Octoljer 12th. 
1833. the Board of .Supervisors of Clinton 
county in e.xercise (jf the [wwers conferred 
upiiii ihem, set oft' the two Gratiot townships 
\\iiich had been added to Lelxmon and organized 
the territory into the township of North Shade. 
The supervisor fnjm North Shade met with the 
Iward of supervisors of Clinton county. By 
the organization of Gratiot county, which oc- 
curred in 1835. all this Gratiot county territory 
was detached from Clinton administration. 

I'lBI.IC .\1-1 \IKS OK THE COUNTY. 

.\s has lieen state<l, the newly constituted 
Hoard of Supervisors convened at DeWitt, the 
county seat, ten members lieing in attendance. 
Daniel Ferguson, who rejjresented Olive, was 
elected chairman. One of the serious matters 
which then confronted the county officials was, 
as has been seen, the building of county build- 
ings. By resolution the board designated the 
upi)er r(K)m of the new house of David Scott 
in the town of DeWitt to l)e used as a court 
room, tiiree other rooms as jurj- rooms and 
one ro(jm for u.se of the Board of Supervisors. 
The price named for the lease was two hundred 
dollars from May i, 184J, to July 15, 1843. 
When the County Commissioners went out of 
oftice. there was a dispute brewing concerning 
die county office buildings, which were in pro- 
cess of construction under a contract. At the 
July session of 184J. a lengthy resolution was 
adopted, charging that Utley had not completed 
his contract and that the county had sustained 
damages, and would in future sustain damages, 
because of the non-j)erformance of his agree- 
ments by the contractor, .\fter thus express- 
ing its indignation, the Iward finally resolved 
that the county would use the buildings. More 
will Ik." heard of this later, for on the .same date 
the biard founil by resolution that said Utley 
was indebted to the countv in the sum of 



532 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



$1,453.33. 'I''"' tbe prosecuting attorney was 
instructed t(j institute proceedings for the re- 
covery of tlie al)()\e amount. At the October 
sessifin of T843. a special committee reported 
that tlie county Iniiidings had been finished with 
cut instead of shaved shingles, and that the 
same were wcirth thirteen dollars less than the 
contract price. Later, in the October meeting 
of T843. ''i'' county buildings were accepted 
and William Utley allowed his balance, and the 
next day Utley was credited with $173.07. 
which was the aiimunt found against him pre- 
viously because of the non-production of 
vouchers by the Board of County Commission- 
ers, which re(|uired him to give a bond at that 
time for the protection of the county. Mr. 
L'tley's troubles did not end here, however. 

At this period county expenses began to pile 
up. The sum of $50.00 was appropriated for 
the purchase of record books for the probate 
office. At the January session of 1848 a reso- 
lution adopted by the board stated that William 
W. LT]iton. late treasurer of the county, had re- 
ceived frcini the township treasurers $628.20 
for which be had never given an account. A 
similar step was taken in regard to the account 
of Hiram Stowell, who, the toard alleged, 
owed the county $364.13. Committees were 
appointed to call upon the delinquent ex-treas- 
urers and demand payment. 

At this session a move was made towards 
providing a county farm. The board found by 
resolution that the increase in the population of 
the county had produced a vast increase in the 
expense of caring for paupers and a special com- 
mittee was named to investigate and report as 
to where the most "commodious" could be pur- 
chased and upon what terms. 

The records .show that during 1847. 1848 
and 1849 Ionia county had used the Clinton 
count}' jail for four hundred seventy-four days 
and owed the county thirty-three dollars for 
rent. 

In Decemlier of 1850 the board took up the 
matter of the larceny from the treasurer's office 
of county orders, poor orders and jury certifi- 
cates, and a committee was appointed to inve.s- 
tigate. Steps were taken to protect the county 



funds and the board provided that advertise- 
ments should be inserted in tlie Northwestern 
Ad\()cate and Clinton Express, requesting 
holders of orders to surrender the same. 

The larceny of the vouchers from the trea.s- 
urer"s office was referred to in a facetious way 
at the session of the board held in 1851, when 
the chairman was authorized by resolution to 
inirchase twenty chairs for the use of the 
county. Supervisor McKee offered an amend- 
ment, adding the words. "And a box with lock 
and key suitable for the safe keeping of said 
chairs." Following this, an amendment to the 
amendment was offered authorizing McKee to 
take charge of the said key. 

The matter of building a court house was 
brought up at various times and discussed and 
plans considered. Ex-Treasurer Ferguson was 
found to be in arrears by the toard which met 
in October of 185 1. and as had been done in 
previous cases, a committee which had been 
designated to make a demand upon Ferguson, 
re])(irted that the ex-treasurer refused payment 
ami demanded of the county payment of two 
hundred twenty dollars, which he claimed was 
his due. .\t this session the sum of three thou- 
-sand five hundred dollars was raised for county 
purposes for the ensuing year. The record dis- 
closes that in the beginning tlie wolf bounties 
were the most numerous claims against the 
county, but later on. witness fees and jurors' 
fees became the burden of the record, Ex- 
Treasurer Ferguson, under whose administra- 
tion the treasurer's office lost thirteen hundred 
dollars in county vouchers, as he claimed, was 
the subject of a resolution later on. passed Oc- 
tober 16. 1852. stating that nothing had been 
discovered connecting him with the robbery, 
and he was voted his back salary of two hun- 
dred twenty dollars. 

In 1853 the Board of Supervisors took up 
the highway question and each township was 
authorized to raise a sum. not exceeding one 
thousand dollars, for building a plank road 
from the forks of the Bad river in Saginaw to 
the village of Lansing in Ingham county. In 
a session of 1853 ^^^ proposition to build a 
court house was again brought up. It was pro- 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



533 



jxiseil that the CDuiity should raise eiglit luui- 
fired (liillars and tliat two Iiiiii(h-ed dollars 
should he pmxided by indixiilual suhscriptions 
for the ])ur])osc of huililiiig a court house. lu 
1S53 the total auiount provided for this pur- 
pose was twelve hundred dollars. 'Hie county 
rented huildinsis of sclmol district tiumher six 
of DeW'itt for county piu^poscs from 1850 to 
1833, and there was no question as to the neces- 
sity of building a court house. At first the 
county paid the school district seventy-five flol- 
lars. and later the rental was raised to one 
hundred dollars. 

The assessed valuation of some of the town- 
ships, as fixed hy the Bnard of Supervisors in 
1853, is as follows : 

beW'itt. $169,820.00. 

Bengal, $105,312.00. 

Eagle, $100,798.00. 

Essex, $105,312.00. 

COUXTV BflLDIXOS. 

.\s has been suggested, among the numerous 
demands which crmfronted the infant county, 
the most prominent was the erection of county 
buildings. The fact that DeW'itt village had 
earlv been designated as the county-seat has al- 
ready been luentioned. Ry reference to the 
brief history of county affairs previously nar- 
rated, it will he seen that the matter of an ap- 
propriation for building county offices was 
brought up before the Board of County Com- 
missioners on October 12. 1840. a contract be- 
ing awarded to William H. Utley. In connec- 
tion with this building enterprise, Seth P. Mar- 
vin finally completing the structiu'cs. IX'uiil 
Scott, prominent in early afYairs, deeded to the 
county a piece of land described as "Commenc- 
ing at the southwest corner of the Public 
Square: running thence east three chains; thence 
north three chains; thence west three chains; 
thence south three chains to the place of begin- 
ning; also \<^l 366 in block 50 according to the 
plat of the village of DeWitt. for the purposes 
of the count\' buildings of said county, with the 
express understanding that, should the present 
location of the county-site of said county lie re- 



moved, then the said county is to further re- 
move froiu said lands any buildings belonging 
to said county at the time of the removal of 
said county-site, and the lands above described 
are to revert to said David Scott and Clarissa 
Scott, their heirs, executors, administrators and 
assigns." Tlie consideration named in the said 
convevance was ten dollars, the same being of 
date March 15, 1842. The parties to the above 
transaction scarcely understood how soon the 
provisional clause in the deed would become 
operative. 

The office building as finally completed upon 
the public square was in dimensions eighteen 
li\ tliirtx feet. It contained but two rooms, one 
being dedicated to the county clerk and register 
of deeds, and the other to the judge of probate 
and county treasurer. Heretofore these offices 
had l)een kept at various places in the village, 
the county paying rent for rooms to accommo- 
date them. The jail which was built about the 
same time was used by the county until 1862. 
From 1839 to 1847 rooms were rented of David 
Scott for use of the county courts, juries and 
the Board of Supervisors. In 1847 the school 
house of District Number 6 was leased for 
such puqioses, the county continuing to occupy 
same until 1855. After that year until the 
removal of the county-seat to St. Johns, ses- 
sions of the circuit court were held successively 
in rooms rented from Chauncey Lott. C. M. 
Derbeyshirc. and in 1857 the Baptist church 
at DeWitt. In 1851 a movement was begun 
towards the building of a court house at De- 
Witt. 

At the October session of the Board of Su- 
]iervisors in 1855 the question of removing the 
C(junty seat to St. Johns was first discussed, 
according to record. The supervisor from 
Bingham. J. O. Palmer, offered a resolution 
"That the county seat lie removed to St. 
Johns." An amendment was tendered by W. J. 
Jenison. of Eagle, striking out "Village of St. 
Johns" and inserting "the center of Muskrat 
I^ke." Nothing was accomplished in this line 
at this date. In 1856 at the Januarv- meeting 
of the board, a resolution was offered provid- 
ing that the sum of $2,000.00 be appropriated 



534 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



by the county wliicli sum added to a one thou- 
sand dollar sul)scri])tion raised by DeWitt citi- 
zens was to he ajiplied in building a court house 
on the public square. At this point the ques- 
tion of location being raised indirectly, it was 
proposed that the county-site be located upon 
the north-west comer of section number fi\e of 
Olive. This motion in connection with another 
asking for an appro]jriaticin of $800.00 for the 
construction of fire-pr(x)f county offices at De- 
Witt was lost, thus leaving the way open for 
further agitation in favor of St. Johns. 

On January 2, 1857. William H. Moote. 
then a representative citizen of St. Johns and 
supervisor of Bingham township, presented to 
the toard a resolution pro\iding for the re- 
moval of the county seat to the jniblic square 
in the village of St. Johns. The matter was 
laid on the table and on the following day 
Moote offered as a substitute for his previous 
resolution, as follows : 'A\'hereas, it is proposed 
to remove the county site of Clinton county 
from the village of DeWitt in said county 
where it is now located, therefore, we the Board 
of Suijervisors, resolve that the public square in 
the village of St. Johns in said county, accord- 
ing to the recorded plat thereof, lie and the same 
hereb\- is designated l)y said l)oard as the place 
to which such proposed removal is to be made." 
An amendment to this resolution was offered, 
the same being as follows: "Providing that the 
inhabitants or some one in their behalf, will 
make to Clinton county a good and sufficient 
deed for one and one-half acres of land for 
county buildings, on or before March, 1857, 
and secure to said county the sum of two thou- 
sand dollars towards the expenses of the county 
buildings, to be paid on the completion of the 
buildings." The friends of DeW'itt were on 
hand and dilatory tactics were employed. One 
amendment was offered asking that all of the 
resolution after the figures "1857" ^^ stricken 
iiut. The amendments were carried and the 
Moote resolution as amended was adopted. 
Later in the day Moote offered another resolu- 
tion in connection with those previously adopted 
in reference to the removal of the county seat, 
which was as follows : "Tliat the time for hold- 



ing the next annual township meeting shall be 
the date on which the electors of said county 
shall \-ote on such proposed removal, and that 
the county clerk be authorized to notifj' the 
township clerks and to furnish three notices of 
the foregoing resolution, to be posted in three 
public places in each township." At the annual 
township meeting. April 6. 1857, the proposi- 
ticjn of removal was submitted to the electors. 
After the \ote was counted, it was found one 
thousand four hundred t\\ent\'-three \'otes were 
cast in favcir nf the proposition and six hundred 
eighty-nine against it. 

At the session of the board held the next fall, 
superxisor Moote presented a preamble and 
resolution as follows : "Whereas the Board of 
Supervisors of the county of Clinton, by reso- 
lution adopted January 2. 1857, proposed to re- 
move the county site of the county of Clinton 
and locate the same at the village of St. Johns: 
and whereas, it appears that at a subsequent 
election, a majority of the electors of said 
county \oted in favor of such removal and lo- 
cation ; therefore, be it resolved, that the county 
seat of said county be and the same hereby is 
declared to be established at the said village of 
St. Johns, in accordance with said resolutions 
and the vote of the electors of said county 
thereon." .At a \ote of eleven to five, the reso- 
lution was adopted, and in December, 1857, 
the county offices were removed from DeWitt 
to Plumstead Hall in the village of St. Johns. 
Later the Board of Supervisors returned to De- 
W'itt the county buildings and the land owned 
by the county, for township purposes. 

The construction of a brick building for 
county offices was begun in 1858 by the reso- 
lution providing for the erection of this office 
building. The dimensions were to be twenty 
by forty feet and twelve feet high in the clear; 
the same to be completed by December i, 1858. 
The sum of one thousand dollars was appro- 
priated for the construction of the same. The 
county officers did not occupy the building until 
January 19, 1859, and after that date until the 
present court house was completed upon the 
square, the county officers were held at 
this building. The sessions of the county 



I 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



535 



ceiuit, after the removal of tlic county scat, 
were held at Plumstead Hall until 1861 ; then 
in Clinton Hall, which the county rented of 
Geortje W. Stqjhensoii until iSfn). Newton's 
Hall was also used by the coimty tor die period 
of one year, and a building' owned by John 
Hicks on Clinton .\venue was ne.\t utilized. 
The records of the Hoard of Supervisors show 
that the Plumstead Hall was rented at an an- 
nual rental of seventy-five dollars. 

The county had grown very prosijerous, the 
population having increased considerably, and 
in consequence of improved conditions, co- 
operating with the prevalent public spirit, in 
1869 preparations v\ere made for the erection 
of a suitable court house for Clinton county. 
A resolution offered l^efore the Board January 
5, 1869, brought matters to a focus. The 
records show this resolution to be as follows : 
"Whereas, the village of St. Johns has pro- 
vided for raising five thousand dollars offered 
for the construction of a court house, therefore, 
resolved that the county of Clinton build a 
court house on the public square, not to cost to 
exceed six mills on the dollar on the assessed 
valuation of the county estimated from the cor- 
rected aggregate assessment of the county for 
the year 1868: three mills to he raised in 1869 
and three mills in 1870. The question to be 
submitted to the electors at the annual meeting 
in April, 1869." This matter was at once re- 
ferred to a committee and on the following day 
a substitute for the resolution was ofifered and 
adopted, the same l)eing as follows : "That the 
proposition to raise the sum of twenty-five thou- 
sand dollars be submitted to the people in April, 
1869, to be raised by loan, said loan payable in 
five annual payments." On this substituted 
resolution the vote stood twelve to two, and in 
the election following it, one thousand seven 
hundred thirty-four votes were cast in favor of 
building the court house and one thousand and 
one hundred and seventy against it. 

Based upon the resolution and the result of 
the election, a building committee was at once 
appointed with power to enter into contracts 
for the erection of the new county building. 
William L. Hicks, George R. Hunt, Benjamin 
34 



V. Shepard, David Clark, Moses Bartow and 
John Hicks were named as members of this 
committee. At the session of October. 1869, 
this c(.)mniittee reixjrted the adoption of a plan 
similar to that of the court house at Bay City, 
Michigan, and further reported that contracts 
for the construction of the foundation had been 
awarded, and that the foundation walls were 
to be complete<l in November, 1869. On De- 
cemlier 18, 1869, the committee opened .sealed 
propo.sals or bids for the construction of the 
court house. The lowest bid, twenty-four 
thousand dollars, was not accepted, and the 
committee commenced the task of constructing 
the building under its own supervision. It was 
finally completed and ready for use in Octolwr, 
187 1, and the committee, according to the re- 
port of January 9, 1872, made liy John Hicks, 
its chairman, had expended thirty-five thousand 
three luin<lred forty-four dollars and fiftv-eight 
cents in this public enterprise. 

The Clinton county court house was a model 
l)uilding at the time when it was erected and 
was counted as one of the finest public buildings 
in the state. Since that time the needs of the 
county ofifices have increased in proportion to 
the increase of business. Improvements have 
been made from time to time and considerable 
sums of money have been expended in main- 
taining the building, re-arranging its interior 
and keeping it in repair. It is now heated by 
an expensive steam heating apparatus. The 
offices of the county clerk, judge of probate, 
and register of deeds have been connected with 
fire-pro<jf vaults, and the county has spared no 
expense in rendering the court house a suitable 
and proper building for the accommodation of 
public officers and the transaction of the busi- 
ness of the county. The increase in the volume 
of business and the multiplicity of records have 
conspired to render the office rooms in the 
county building inadequate. The fire-proof 
vaults in the judge of prolxite's office are rap- 
idly becoming filled with records, and by the 
present arrangement of the interior of the 
building, this important judicial officer has but 
one room in which to transact his business, pre- 
pare and keep his records and hold sessions of 



536 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



tlie probate court. Likewise vault room in the 
office of the register of deeds is rapidly becom- 
ing inadequate, and the county clerk will soon 
be in need of more commodious quarters. The 
court room on the second floor of the court 
house is an unusually spacious room, the ceil- 
ings being extraordinarily high. In general, 
it has the appearance of an auditorium rather 
than that of a court room. The idea was at 
the time the interior of the building was planned 
that a large room should be prepared as the 
same could be used for public meetings of va- 
rious sorts. 

Steps were taken In- the Board of Supervisors 
in 1904 and 1903 toward re-modeling the in- 
terior of the building and building additions 
thereto. An architect was engaged to prepare 
plans for the additions and for the re-modeling 
of the building, which plans were submitted to 
the board. The board ordered the matter of 
raising the sum of twenty-six thousand dollars 
for carrying out the plan of reconstruction to 
be submitted to the voters at the spring election 
of 1905. There seeriied to be a general misun- 
derstanding as to die necessity of this additional 
outlay, and the proposition fell down by a ^•ote 
of approximately three to one. By co-oi^eration 
between the city of St. Johns and the Board of 
Supervisors, a clock has recently been placed in 
the tower of the court house, W'hich adds much 
to its appearance and contributes to the con- 
venience of the people. 

In 1873 definite steps were taken toward se- 
curing a site and building a jail and .sherifif's 
dwelling thereon. On January 10 of that year 
a special committee which had previously been 
appointed, reported and recommended the pur- 
chase of lots one, two and three in block twenty 
of the village of St. Johns. The board adopted 
the report and the lots were pinxhased for the 
sum of si.x hundred dollars, the deed of convey- 
ance bearing date January 20, 1873. On Janu- 
ary 5. 1875. a resolution was passed by the 
board providing for submitting to the electors 
of the county a proposition to raise ten thou- 
sand dollars for the building of a jail and sher- 
iff's residence upon this county land. On May 
12, 1875, the board convened for the purpose 



of taking up the business of erecting the jail. 
After considerable time had been spent in 
"fillibustering," Eugene V. Chase was elected 
chairman of the board and Josiah Upton, who 
still resides in the city of St. Johns, was author- 
ized and appointed to procure plans and speci- 
fications for the work, the building to be erected 
at a sum not to e.xceed ten thousand dollars. 
Plans were accepted as submitted in the follow- 
ing June, and John Hicks, Josiah LTpton and 
Richard Moore were named as a building com- 
mittee with power to advertise and receive pro- 
posals and award the contract. The building 
was completed in October. 1876, and at a total 
cost of ten thousand fifteen dollars and fifty- 
three cents. As it stands today, the county jail 
and sheriff's residence combined is a splendid 
county building, located at one of the best loca- 
tions in the city of St. Johns. .Additions have 
been made to the building antl the interior re- 
modeled from time to time. 

THE COUNTY F.\RM 

The history of the purchase of the county 
poor farm, as recorded in the history of Clin- 
ton and Shiawassee counties, can scarcely be 
improved upon and is as follows : 

"The first oflicial action taken in reference 
to the support of the county pair of Clinton 
county, as recorded in the proceedings of the 
county commissioners, was in October, 1839, 
at which time Grafton Webber, of Watertown, 
Thomas Fisk, of Bingham, and Franklin Oliver, 
of DeWitt, were a]ii)ointed county suj'ierintend- 
ents of the jxxjr for the ensuing year. In the 
month of February following it was resolved 
to abolish the distinction of county and town- 
-ship poor and that 'all expense hereafter in- 
curred shall be a charge against the county.' 
The first step toward providing a county farm 
for the poor was taken at a meeting of the 
Board of Supervisors on the 4th day of Janu- 
ary, 1844, when a resolution was offered that 
arrangements be made for the purchase of a 
farm for the maintenance of the poor. This 
resolution was laid on the table and finally re- 
jected by the board; but at the annual session 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



537 



in the following autumn a oniniittee to whom 
the report of the superintendents of the poor 
was referred, recommending tlie purchase of a 
farm. Supervisors Bouijhtnn, I'earl and Taber 
were apjiointed a committee to examine the 
farm of William Utiey and ascertain his price. 
The committee reported and after due consid- 
eration, the farm was purchased for six huti- 
dred sixty-one dollars and sixty-eight cents; 
the ileed hearing date. November i. 1844. Its 
location is in township five north of range two 
west. (DeWitt) and is the north-west quarter 
of the south-west quarter, and the west half of 
the south fraction of the north-west quarter 
of section nine. The farm was rented to David 
Olin for one year from January i, 1845, ^O'' 
fifty dollars, and was sold to Jesse 1'. Turner 
for six hundred sixty-six dollars and ninctv- 
two cents on the 7th day of Octolier of the same 
year. 

"AlMnit ten years c];q)sed Ijcfore further ac- 
tion was taken for the purchase of a farm. .\t 
the fall session of 1854. X. J. Daniels, of Water- 
town, moved 'that a committee of three be aj)- 
pointecl whose duty it shall be to examine loca- 
tions and recei\e proposals with a view to the 
l)urchase of a farm and the location of a poor- 
house, and report to the board at the next meet- 
ing." The three supervisors. Plowman. Kstes 
and Fitch were appointed such committee. On 
the i_nh of October. 1855. Stephen Pearl, 
county treasurer, was authorized to receive pro- 
posals for the purchase of a farm of from eighty 
to one hundred acres. But it does not appear 
that Mr. Pearl made a purchase, as on the 24th 
of January, 1856, the committee app(^inted in 
1854 reported in favor of the purchasing of 
one hundred acres of George W. Stoddard for 
fifteen hundred dollars, situated on the north- 
west (|uarter of section twenty-eight in the 
township of Olive. This report was adopted 
and Stephen Pearl was appointed agent to ex- 
amine the title and consummate the purchase. 
The deed is dated Januar>- 25, 1856, and re- 
corded on the 29th day of January of the same 
year. .A.t the Januan,- session in 1858, a com- 
munication was received from the superintend- 
ents of the poor, recommending an ajjpmpria- 



tion to erect a building on the county farm, 
which was referred to a special committee. 
There is no further record of the appointment 
of this committee or of any repfirt made upon 
the subject. 

".\t the annual session in the autumn of 1859 
it was decided to let the maintenance of the 
county paupers to the lowest bidder with good 
.security. This method of supporting the poor 
was continued for several years. 

"At the January session of 1854 the offer of 
W^illiam Sickels to exchange lots one and two 
in block thirteen of the village of St. Johns for 
the county fann, was accepted and Charles Kipp 
was authorized to convey the title. This ex- 
change was, however, not made, as it appears 
that on the ijth of December. 1867. Charles 
Ivipp conveyed the farm owned by the county 
to Henry Lackey — this conveyance l^eing in 
accordance with a resolution of the Board of 
Supervi.sors made October 17, 1867; the farm 
having been sold on contract to Mr. Lackey in 
October, 1865. -^ committee was appointed to 
report on the necessity of purchasing a poor- 
farm, which committee reported the next day 
and recommended the ])urchase of one hundred 
acres near the village of St. Johns. This rep.^rt 
was approved and on the next day the superin- 
tendents of the poor were authorized to pur- 
chase a farm at a jjrice not to exceed four thou- 
sand dollars. A farm was purcha.sed of Hiram 
L. Lamb for three thousand five hundred dol- 
lars, the deed bearing date April 8, 1867. It 
contains seventy-six and one-half acres, forty 
of which are under cultivation and it includes 
an orchard of one hundred and seventy-five 
fruit trees. Tlie superintendents of the poor 
were authorized to erect a buibling not to ex- 
ceed eighteen hundred dollars in cost, 'to meet 
the demands of the unfortunates which are en- 
trusted to their care." I'nder this authority, a 
building was erected in the summer of 1861 
and another is being erected the present year to 
further accommodate the increased demands of 
the county poor." 

The eighty acres purchased of Miner R. 
Frink. lying adjacent on the north to the orig- 
inal tract, was recently purchased by the county 



538 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



for the sum of five thousand five hundred dol- 
lars. The farm is at present under the man- 
agement of E. R. Lester. The Ijoard of poor 
commissioners appointed hy the Board of Su- 
pervisors, consists as follows : President, Fred 
.\. Travis, St. Johns; Secretaiy, Frank M. 
Spaulding. St. Johns ; John A. \\'atson. of Du- 
plain, heing the third member. The county 
farm physician is Dr. Frank C. Dunn, of St. 
Johns. Although under the present manage- 
ment the county farm is exceptionally produc- 
ti\e, and has grown to be a valuable property, 
the county appropriates from eight to ten thou- 
sand dollars ])er year for the care and mainte- 
nance lit the unfortunate classes. 

THE CITY OF ST. JOHNS. 

'Jlie city of St. Johns, as it exists today, 
covers section sixteen and a portion of the 
northeast quarter of section seventeen and a por- 
tion of the cast half of section eight, and a pur- 
tion of section nine, of Bingham township, 
Clinton county. 

In the pioneer days Bingham township was 
not considered as a sanitaiy location: the area 
thereof containing considerable tracts of swamp 
and marsh lands. This village had its begin- 
nings some time after the first settlements 
throughout the county had been made. In the 
year 1853 a party of four state officials exam- 
ined the line of the Detroit and jMilwaukee 
Railway as then propo.sed, having in view the 
purcha.se of land along the line for purposes of 
speculation. These persons were John Swegles, 
Auditor General; Porter Kibby, Commissioner 
of the Land Office; E. C. Whitmore, State 
Treasurer, and H. S. Mead, Deputy Attorney 
General. However commendable the position 
assumed by these parties, being state officials, 
might be, they were able to select tracts of land 
with considerable foresight. John Swegles was 
given authority to secure land on the Detroit 
and Milwaukee Railway most likely to become 
a railway station, where a village site might be 
platted by this association of speculators. This 
company of buyers showed foresight in enlist- 
ing Robert Higham, chief engineer of the rail- 



road, in their enterprise, for he had the author- 
ity to select sites for railway stations. Charles 
L. Dibble, of Detroit, was also admitted on the 
ground floor. 

John Swegles, the ])rincipal factor in the en- 
terprise as far as St. Johns was concerned, was 
a native of New York state and in 1840 be- 
came a resident of Hillsdale county, Michigan, 
and later was the editor and publisher of the 
Hillsdale Gazette, being elected Auditor Gen- 
eral of the state in 1S50. -\s a matter of fact, 
Swegles was authorized to act in tehalf of each 
member of the .so-called company. He ob- 
tained information from Engineer Higham that 
the railway company would establish a station at 
some point near the vicinity of what later became 
the village of St. Johns and he liegan the pur- 
chase of land in that locality. His first pur- 
cha.se was eighty acres of land of the west half 
of the south-west quarter of section nine, the 
owners being represented by George W. Estes, 
who still is a venerable citizen of the city of St. 
Johns. I^ter Swegles added to this tract land 
on the south half of section nine and all of sec- 
tion sixteen, except the south-west quarter of 
of the south-west quarter: die company own- 
ing an aggregate of nine hundred twenty acres 
of land. The site of the village was designated 
and work was Ijegun at once, surxeys were 
made and streets named and lots cleared. A 
compan}- of latorers was imported and set at 
work under the charge of George W. Estes. 
Considerable progress was made, as those in 
charge of the enterprise were men of energ)'- 
and good judgment. 

One of the first moves was the erection of a 
steam sawmill which was in operation in the 
winter of 1854 and 1855. Cornelius Vrooman 
Iniilt a frame house just prior to the building of 
the sawmill. The surveyors and employes of the 
company were boarded at this place, which 
was called the "Whittemore House." Samuel 
Gardner, one of the pioneers of Bingham, 
whose tavern has already been mentioned, soon 
arrived at the new town and purchased a lot. 
He erected a frame building for tavern pur- 
poses and called it the "Gardner House." After 
a short time he sold his property to George W. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY 



539 



Estcs. will) callcil it tlie ■■CliiitDii House." Swe- 
_s;les sdDii liad a store Iniildiiijj erected on Clin- 
ton Avenue, stocked with "general merchandise, 
with ( ieor^e 1". Mead and (ieor.ije W. Estes in 
clinrye thereof. 

It will he noted that the railwax' had not \et 
heen huiit to St. Johns. .\t this time the young 
xillage consisted of a hotel, store and a saw- 
mill, liut its jiroprietors hail faith in their enter- 
prise and not without rea.son, for it was known 
at that time that the Detroit and Milwaukee 
railway would pass through the village plat 
without question. 

.\s to the naming of this village, there seems 
to l;e some difference of qjinion as far as the 
tradition-- offer information. One explanation 
is that the village was named in honor of John 
Swegles. George W. Estes claims this to be 
the fact. In snhstance. Mr. Estes' explanation 
is as follows : In the summer of 1854 John Swe- 
gles. Da\iil Sturgis. M. I-l. Burroughs, C. .\. 
Laml) and (ieorge W. Estes were one day sit- 
ting upon a log in W'alker street, when the mat- 
ter of naming the new \illage arose; that Swe- 
gles suggested "AMiittemoreville" and "Mead- 
ville." in honor of his associates in the enter- 
prise: Stiu'gis offering the name of "Swegles- 
ville": that Mr. Estes suggested that a more 
approi)riate name would lie St. Johns" as a 
mark of honor to John Swegles, and that the 
latter suggestion was unanimously accepted by 
the company: that Swegles offered to submit 
the proposition to the next meeting of the com- 
pany; that before this meeting was held. John 
T. Xewell arrixed on the ground with a stock 
of goods, and that the boxes in which the goods 
were contained were marked, "St. Johns"; tjiat 
Mr. ICstes took a cover from one of Xewell's 
l)oxes and nailed it upon a tree; that from that 
time the \illage was known as St. Johns. Ivlder 
C. .\. Lamb has given a somewhat different 
version of the occurrence, claiming that Swe- 
gles. Sturgis, Mead and himself were present 
at this meeting: tiiat the names "Richmond," 
'"Sweglesville" and "Johnsville" were sug- 
gested and that he ( Elder !,an)b) pro])osed to 
"call it St. Johns"; that Mr. Swegles responded 
saying, "I'or some reasons I should be in favor 
of St. Johns. .\mcn; St. |ohns let it be." 



On the other hand, it is entirely possible that 
neither of these versions of the occurrence of 
the christening of the new village of St. Johns 
is correct. Mr. Samuel S. Walker, who now 
resides at Old Mission, Michigan, has the fol- 
lowing to sav in this connection: "If I remem- 
ber rightly, it came from the name of Johns- 
ville. a village of central Xew York and a sta- 
tion of the Xew ^'ork Central Railroad. For 
many years it was the railway dining place. 
It is said that in the franchise by which the 
railwav was .allowed to go through the town 
it was s])ccitieil that every train should stop at 
that station and that some one at least should 
stop for meals. With the great increase of 
travel and the development of the road, this 
Ijractice became a great annoyance, and it is 
said that several years ago the railroad paid 
Johnsville a large sum of money to have this 
agreement vacated. Robert Higham. formerly 
of Johnsville, New York, was chief engineer 
o the Oakland and Ottawa Railroad, running 
from Pontiac, Oakland county, to Grand Ha- 
\en, Ottawa county, afterward united with the 
Detroit and Pontiac Railroad, the combination 
forming the Detroit and Milwaukee line. 

"It was seen from Corunna to Ionia there 
was no station, and the engineer realized that 
a large town would develop .somewhere within 
that distance, so the St. Johns Land Company 
was organized, consisting of officers and direct- 
ors of the railroad company and several other 
gentlemen, among them lieing John Swegles, 
then Auditor General of the state. Porter 
Kibby, Charles Dibble and others. I do not 
think this company was a corporation, simply 
a p;u"tTiershi]). Mr. Higham locate<l the site 
for a station where there was a large quantity 
of such land and where the land was at a high 
level, and here a village was ])latted, which was 
named 'St. Johns.' It was his expectation 
that being so near the center of the road, it 
would become the dining station, and for some 
time it was such. When the road went into 
bjiglish hands, the dining station was pemia- 
nently established at Owosso. The names of 
several of the streets of St. Johns immortalize 
the original name of the railroad and its of- 
ficers and directors, as well as other persons 



540 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



connected with the enterprise originally. The 
names of Oakland and Ottawa streets can be 
connected with the name of the Oakland and 
Ottawa railroad: Walker, Higham, Cass, Stew- 
ard, Swegles and Whittemore streets refer to 
village pioneers, many of whom have been men- 
tioned. The name of the county is immortal- 
ized in Clinton avenue. The existence of a 
spring near what is now Spring street, between 
Walker and Higham streets, accounts for the 
name of Spring street. I do iidt think any lots 
were ever conveyed by the company as such 
conveyances were made to different members of 
the same, each caring for his own separate in- 
terest. The bend in the road at the Scott road 
was called 'Travelers' Drunk.' and Travelers 
and Sweeney, who located the line were 
laughed at for making an angle in the road 
when it could ha\"e been continued perfectlv 
straight. .\s a matter of fact, the angle was 
made under the direction of Mr. Higham, so 
the road would touch the St. Johns Company's 
land at the most desirable ]K)int." 

Relying upon the general rule as to the se- 
lection of geographical and local names, the lat- 
ter explanation in reference to the naming of 
the new \'illage "St. Johns." would seem to Ije 
the most reasonable, ;uid therefore the most 
acceptable. 

The first store opened for business in the new 
village was under the proprietor.ship of John 
Swegles, as before stated. John T. Newell 
was the second merchant to open a store in St. 
Johns, the building which he first occupied 
standing on Clinton Avenue south of "Kipp's 
Corners." M. E. Burroughs, who had become 
a resident of DeWitt township, soon arrived 
and built a log house up(.)n the lot later occupied 
l)y the post-ofifice. He opened a meat market, 
and John Hicks, a ])ioneer merchant at DeW'itt 
and later a St. Johns capitalist, furnished Bur- 
roughs with a small stock of goods and he be- 
came the po])rietor of the third store in St. 
Johns. In 1834 Olney Brown also became a 
merchant in the \illage, and the saloon of J. C. 
Sewell was soon doing business. The Gard- 
ner lltuise, which later became the Clinton 
House, has been referred to. John Hicks 



stated that he took dinner at this hostelry in 
1856, and that conditions were such that the 
rain fell inside as well as outside; guests in the 
dining room being compelled to move from 
place to place to avoid the rain. In 1855 Spen- 
cer \V. Gibbs bought four lots and built a hotel 
which was called the Railroad Exchange. This 
house was opened July i, 1855, ^t was later 
.sold to David Sturgis and William L. Hicks, 
when the name was changed and it was called 
die St. Johns House. At this early date the 
stumps had not lieen removed from Clinton 
avenue, standing trees throughout the village 
were numerous and logs lay in the streets. At 
this early date, the west side of Clinton .\ve- 
nue was occupied by Sewell's saloon, a cabin 
in which .\. l*". Cowell, afterward a prominent 
business man of the village lived, and the tin 
shop of ^Marshall Wilcox. Cowell opened a 
store in 1856 and remained in business as a 
merchant ff)r many years thereafter. On the 
east side of the .\ venue was Swegles' store, 
Vrooman's boarding house, known then as the 
Whittemore House, later as the Gibbs House, 
Xewell's store, the Clinton House, Deming's 
shoemaking establishment, the painter Blaks- 
lee's shop, and on the east Walker street stood 
Burrough's meat market. 

T^r. D. C. Stewart came to the \illage in the 
f;dl of 1854. Dr. Darrell came to the village 
about the same time, as did Dr. Louis W. Fas- 
(|uelle, who remained a prominent i)ractitioner 
<if Clinton county u\) to the time of his death. 
Timodiy Baker and Joseph W. Ran.som were 
the first attorneys to open offices in St. Johns. 
John Crawle\- and Hiram Harrington began 
business as blacksmiths at about this time. In 
1855 James Styles, of Greenbush. took up a 
residence at St. Johns and began to manufac- 
ture splint bottomed chairs. In September of 
the same year Cleorge W. Stephenson started 
a tailoring shoji on Clinton Avenue south of 
Kijip's Corner, where he built Clinton Hall, 
whicli was for many years utilized as a ])ublic 
building. In 1855 John Swegles and N. P. 
.Stewart became possessed of ^lead's interest 
in the \-ill;ige property and Stewart soon had 
control of tile interest of Kiliby and Swegles, 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



541 



and sold a part of his acquisitions to Orville 
Clark and Asahel Clark. After these trans- 
fers, the proprietorship of St. Johns vested in 
N. P. Stewart, B. C. Whitteniore. Charles Dib- 
ble, Robert Highani, Orville Clark and Asahel 
Clark. Swegles continued after this time to 
superintend and manage the affairs of the com- 
pany. 

At about this time David Sturgis, formerly 
in business at DeW'itt, came to St. Johns and 
Doctors Stone and Leech each established a 
dnig store. Mention should be made of George 
W. Emmons, a venerable St. Johns capitalist, 
who, it was claimed, was the first white inhabi- 
tant of the tract covered by the plat of the vil- 
lage, having made a permanent settlement in 
183J, although he located his property in 1845. 

This community, whatever its limitations, 
was nevertheless enterprising. On July 4th, 
1854, the Fourth of July celebration was pre- 
pared. The events of the day consisted of the 
usual exercises, music and amusements. The 
orator of the day was the new lawyer. James 
W. Ransdui. An Independence Day celebra- 
tion was also held in 1855. The day's pro- 
gram consisted of a dinner at Clibb's Railroad 
Exchange. 

Tradition is that the first white child torn 
in the village was a daughter of Charles Cobb, 
the event occurring in the summer of 1855, the 
child dving the following year. George A. 
Estes, a well known St. Johns citizen at the 
present time and a son of George \V. Estes, the 
pioneer, was the first male child born in the 
village, his birthday being October 23, 1855. 

The village of St. Johns was platted on 
March 2^. 1856, and the following is a copy 
of the record : 

"Know all men by these presents: That we. 
Nelson I'. Stewart, Sarah .\nn Stewart, r>. C. 
Whitteniore. Caroline W'hittemore, Charles L. 
Dil)l)le, Sarah I. Dibble, Robert Higham. El- 
vira Higham. Orville Clark. Delia M. Clark 
an<l .\sahel Clark, do by these presents set 
ajjarl and estab.lish the following tlescribed 
preini.scs for a village, to be known and desig- 
nated as the village of .St. Johns: to wit: That 
part of the south half of section nine anil that 



part of the north half of section sixteen in 
township 7 north of range two west, in the 
county of Clinton, Michigan, commencing at 
a point on the section line two hundred seventy- 
seven feet east of the section corners of sections 
eight, nine, sixteen and seventeen, in said town- 
.ship, at which point said street intersects 
the west line of Ottawa street, running thence 
south along the west line of Ottawa street one 
thousand two hundred twenty-seven feet to a 
[xiint where the said west line of Ottawa street 
intersects the south line of Baldwin street, 
thence east and ])arallel with the section line !:«- 
tween the sections nine and sixteen for a dis- 
tance of two thousand eight hundred twenty- 
two feet six inches to a point where the soutli 
line of Baldwin street intersects the east line 
of East street, thence north along the east line 
of East street to a point where the east line of 
East street intersects the north line of Railroad 
street one hundred feet south from the center 
line of the Detroit and Milwaukee Railway; 
thence we.st parallel w ilh the center line of 
said railway and one hundred feet therefrom 
to a point where the north line of Railroad 
street intersects the west line of Ottawa street, 
thence south along the west line of Ottawa 
street, to the place of beginning. 

In witness whereof, we have hereunto set 
our hands and seals this 25th day of March, 
1856, by John Swegles, attorney in fact. 

( Sgd) Xelson P. Stewart. Mary Ann Stew- 
art. B. C. WMiitemore, Caroline Whitteniore, 
Charles L. Dibble, Sarah I. Dibble, Robert 
Higham, Elvira Higham. Orville Clark. De- 
lia M. Clark, .\sahel Clark. 

Tn the Presence of: Timothv Baker. George 
!•". Mea<l." 

.Mthough the \illage plat was rect)nled in 
1856, steps toward village incorporation were 
not taken until the month of September. 1857. 
The ])reliminaiy notice in connection with the 
incor|)oration of the village was as follows: 

"Xoticc is hereby given that the undersigned 
legal voters residing in the territory herein- 
after described, will at the next annual meeting 
of the Board of Supervisors of Clinton county, 
to be held at DeWilt on the hrst Mondav of 



I 



542 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



Oct(jljei' next, make application to the said Ijoard 
on the said day for an order of incorporation of 
the following one square mile, as a village, to 
be described by bounds as follows : 'Com- 
mencing at a point where the quarter line of 
section line intersects the section lines of eight 
and nine; thence east along said quarter line 
to a point where said line intersects the section 
lines of nine and ten : thence south to the south 
line of the Detnjit and Milwaukee Railway; 
thence west along the south line of said rail- 
way, sixty-nine rods; thence south to the quar- 
ter line on section sixteen; thence west along 
the quarter line of sections sixteen and seven- 
teen, three hundred and twenty rods; thence 
north to the south line of said railway, thence 
east along the said line of the said railway to 
the .section lines of eight and nine; thence north 
along the said last mentioned line to the afore- 
said quarter line of section nine to the place 
of beginning; in the township of Bingham, 
county of Clinton and state of Michigan, to be 
known and designated as the village of St. 
Johns. 

David Sturgis. 

Henry W'albridge. 

Stephen J. Wright, 

John Hicks, 

(ieorge F. Mead, 

George W. Emmons. 

J. H. Corbit, 

S. W..Gibbs. 

William 11. .Mdote. 

T. T. Newell. 

William L. Hicks. 

Charles Ki])]), 

William Weeks. 

Seldom Munger. 

A. M. Crawford. 

J. E. Leech. 

Joshua Gates. 

.\. Plumstead. 

^\'m. W^ Flagler. 

'M. E. Palmer 
(and others). 

In accordance with the above petition, an 
order of incorporation was entered by the 
board of sujicrvisors on October 15. 1857. John 



Swegles, Ciiarles Kipp and Alonzo Plumstead 
were inspectors of the first election which w^as 
held on the fir.st Tuesday in March, 1858, at 
what was then called Hicks' Hotel in the vil- 
lage of St. Johns. The officers elected at this 
time were as follows : 

President — William H. ^loote. 

Clerk — John Ransom. 

Treasurer — Alonzo Plumstead. 

Trustees — John Swegles, George \^'. Ste- 
phenson, David Sturgis. George W. Emmons, 
William W. Flagler, and William L. Hicks. 

.Assessors — Marvin F. Palmer and Ransom 
Plumstead. 

Street Commissioners — S. T. Hayward, 
Spencer W. Gibbs. John B. Lucas. 

Marshal — George W. Estes. 

Pound Master — Charles O. Styles. 

At a meeting of the board of the village 
trustees, .\pril 17, 1838. \illage ordinances and 
l)}-laws were adopted, and on April 24th. fol- 
lowing, the street commissioners were author- 
ized to enter into a contract with T^Iarvin E. 
Palmer for the grading of Clinton avenue at 
sixteen cents per yard. 

Several additions ba\e been made to the vil- 
lage plant, the first lieing made by George W. 
Emmons in 1857. the addition being known as 
Emmonsville and comprising land at the com- 
mon section corner of sections eight, nine, six- 
teen and seventeen, running west to the quarter- 
section stake between sections eighteen and 
seventeen, thence south along the quarter section 
line of section sex'enteen, ninety-se\-en rods, 
thence east parallel with the section line l)etween 
.sections eigiit and seventeen to section line be- 
tween sections sixteen and seventeen, thence 
north along the said section line Ijetween sec- 
tions sixteen and sexenteen to the place of be- 
ginning. 

June 16, 1857, Clark and Holton's sub- 
division -of outlots numbered ten. ele\en. twelve 
and thirteen were i)lattcd. In 1838 l-"rancis 
Lynd's addition was i)lattcd, the same cover- 
ing nine l)l<icks bound by Morton street on the 
west and Ionia street on the south. Lansing 
street on the east and Railroad street on the 
north. In 1863. A. II. Walker's addition of 



PAST AXD PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



543 



outliit "B" was added. In 1866 Ciibljs' ad- 
dition was platted l)y G. J. Gibl)S. In the same 
year DeWitt C. Hurd and William Sickels' 
subdivision of out-lots "G" and "H" were 
added. April i. 1870, Walker and Styles' sub- 
division was platted, makinpf a material addi- 
tion to the village, this subdivision comprising 
the major p<irtion of the village lying north of 
the D. ("1. H. i^- M. Railroad. \'auconsant"s ad- 
diti<in was jilattcd Xovemlcr 2^. 1^70. a"d Per- 
rin's addition February 10. 1871. Other ad- 
ditions that might he mentioned are Perrin's 
second addition, hounded on the south and east 
hv Stout and Lansing streets; .\venue addition 
at the extreme northern iwrtion of the town 
and Wolcott's addition north of Gibbs" street. 

The years from 1836 to 1858 were prosper- 
ous ones for the new village. The prospect of 
the new railroad, the construction of which was 
a matter of a certainty, was engaging. Land in 
adjacent counties north and west was being 
opened and the new \illage soon became a trade 
center for a large expanse of territory. .\s a 
natural consequence, new streets were added 
antl the population rapidly increased. 

John II. Corhit. now a director of the State 
Bank of St. Johns and a hardware merchant of 
this city, was the i)ioneer hardware merchant 
of the village. In the spring of 1856 he came 
to St. Johns from New York state, where he 
became owner of the tin shop of Marshall Wil- 
cox and in the following Se]iteml)er formed a 
partnership with William ii. Mooto. During 
the same year, Charles Kipp also engaged in 
the hardware business at St. Johns, having been 
engaged in a like trade ai Rochester Colony. 
A. F. Cowell soon opened a st(ire. Lucas and 
Wil.son established themsehes at the corner of 
\Yalker street and Clinton avenue. I'liss & 
Walton located a blacksmith shop and wagon 
shop. On the i6th day of January, 1857, the 
track of the Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad 
was completed to St. Johns and on that day the 
first passenger train arri\ed. It was during 
this year that the village of St. Johns liecanie 
the countv seat of Clinton county. R. M. Steel, 
who up to the time of his death, was promi- 
nentlv identified with Clinton countv business 



.iff.iirs, held the contract to lay the track of 
the Detroit and Milwaukee road between 
Owosso and Grand Haven, and in i860 he be- 
came a resident of the village of St. Johns. 

The first school was taught in the village 
in 1856 and in 1857 a sch(K)l-house was built 
upon the lot now owned by the Eiiiscopal church 
.society. When the village was platted by its 
promoters, land was set aside for churches and 
a cemetery and for railway dqiots and yards. 
In 1857 .\l\-ah H. Walker owned five-twelfths 
of the village and jxissessed the title to seven- 
twelfths, and the remainder was owned by 
Elvira Higham. C. L. Dibble. Orville Clark 
and .\sahel Clark. .\ grist mill was built by 
John Swegles in 1857 at the corner of Higham 
and Sjjring streets. This mill was burned and 
later re-huilt. Wood & Son became the pro- 
prietors and later the purchase passed to Wood 
lirothers, and is now operated by George \\'(X)d. 
The Pros])ect House which was built by 
Lorenzo Hall in 1856 on Oakland street, north 
of Walker street, was rebuilt by Swegles and 
called the American. The building burned in 
18^)3. In 1857 John Hicks, of DeWitt, came to 
St. Johns and engaged in business with David 
Sturgis: O. W. Munger became a St. Johns 
merchant the same year. In 1857 the Plum- 
stead lilock was built by .\lonzo Plumstead and 
the building was counted as the finest store 
building in the county. The building still 
stands where it was built ou Clinton avenue, 
north of Walker street. John Ransom started 
a ncwsi)apcr. called the North Side Democrat; 
.\rchelaus Silsbe built a foundiy ; H. C. Hodge 
openeil a bank: W. W. P.rainard had his car- 
l)enter shoj) in Swegles' saw mill. The new 
\ illage was thoroughly alive and prosperous 
when it was incori»rated as has liefore been 
noted. Sei)tember 2. 1837. In 1838 a general 
store was opened by John W. Payne. The first 
brick store was built by Payne in i860, the 
same being occupied later by .\. Teachout. Dr. 
.\. M. Crawford built the first brick residence, 
which suh.se(|uently lH;came the Randolph 
Strickland pmiierty. The oi^ening of the De- 
troit ^: Milwaukee Railroa<l to St. Johns made 
that village an important .shipping jxiint for the 



544 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



I 



county. John Hicks shipped the first carload 
of wheat by rail in 1857. A considerable busi- 
ness was done in timber products, principally 
staves, and staves were shipped by this road 
from Clinton county to distant markets. 

Speaking of this earlier period, Mr. S. S. 
Walker says: "The proprietors of St. Johns 
in laying out the town, .set aside for public use 
or a court house, the square at the head of Clin- 
ton avenue, the lot at the head of Spring street 
for the Episcopal church and one at the head 
of Ottawa street for a Presbyterian church. 
The west half of the block where the Episcopal 
church now stands was set aside or school pur- 
poses. The court house square and the school 
site were deeded with reversionary conditions, 
to that if they ceased to be used for these pur- 
poses, the title would re\'ert to the original 
owners. \\''hen the school house was built, Mr. 
Alvah H. V.'alker redeeded. conveying his re- 
versionary interest. A school house was built 
on the site named — added to several times — 
until in 1866 or 1867, by a vote of the school 
district, the Ijlock where the Union school is 
located was bought of Alonzo Plumstead and 
a brick school building three stories in heig'ht 
was built on that site, anrl by the vote of the 
district, the old school building was sold at 
auction. The original school-house site revert- 
ing to Mr. Walker, he sold the south half of it 
to Charles Eaton and subsequently gave the 
north half of it to the Episcopal society which 
was then ready to build. The Baptist church 
was the first built in St. Johns on purchased 
land. A Presbyterian society was early or- 
ganized, as was also a Congregational society. 
The Congregational society seemed to increase 
most rapidly and a])out the time diey were 
ready to bm'ld. the Presbyterian organization 
was abondoned and consolidated with the Con- 
gregational S(jciety and the lot that was in- 
tended for the Presbyterians became the site of 
the present Congregational church. The Episco- 
palians organized their society at an early date, 
but it did not flourish. Several of the signers of 
the original organization papers became con- 
nected with the Congregational and Methodist 
churches, and when the Methodist society was 



ready to build, it asked for the lot set aside for 
the Episcopalians. There being no organiza- 
tion of that denomination then, and with the 
promise of the leading Methodists that when 
the Episcopalians were ready to build they 
would gi\e generous help, the consent of the 
Episcopal society was secured. The lot was 
deeded tn the Methodist with reversionary pro- 
visions in the conveyance. Very soon after 
this a new Episcopal organization was made 
and it flourished from the start. The north 
half of the old school house site was deeded to 
this new society by I\Ir. \Valker. .\11 of the 
denominations held services during the early 
days with considerable regularity. At one time 
the Presbyterians held forth in Brainard's car- 
penter shop on the corner of Walker and Spring 
streets, the shop being swept out Saturday even- 
ings and chairs and benches placed therein. 
Plumstead Hall and Stephenson's Hall, over 
the stores owned Ijy them respectively, were 
regulnrlv occupied for serxices as soon as they 
were built." 

Referring to the early days of the village of 
St. Johns, Samuel S. \\'alker. whose reminis- 
censes of that period have been quoted above, 
was the organizer and promoter of the Michi- 
gan Mortgage Company. His father. .Mvah 
H. ^Valker, was a citizen of St. Johns and a 
prominent factor in its development, as may be 
inferred from the foregoing. 

The 0])portunity is taken at this point to re- 
fer more specifically to the careers of a few of 
the prominent business men of the period prior 
to 18S0. .Alvah H. Walker descended from 
New England stock ; among the early ances- 
tors was a sailor and soldier of the Revolution- 
ary war. who ser\ed with the famous John Paul 
Jones. In 1805 the family settled in Western 
Xew York near Fredonia. where .\lvah H. 
Walker became a prominent merchant of that 
village, and so remained until 1855, when he 
removed to Michigan. He served in the Xew 
York state senate in two sessions and was a 
factor in New York politics. In 1861 he came 
to St. Johns with his familv ami engaged in 
business with .\. Teachout. He was President 
of the village of St. Johns from 1869 to 1S71, 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



545 



serving two terms in tliat capactiy. His deatli 
occurred at St. Johns in 1891. Samuel S. 
Walker, his son, was graduated from the Uni- 
versity of Michigan in 1S61 and returned to 
St. Johns and engaged willi his father as a 
merchant. In 1865 he opened a private hank, 
which later hecame the First National Bank of 
St. Johns. He l)ecame cashier of that institu- 
tion and also became heavily engaged in a real- 
estate business. In 1877 he disposed of his 
banking interests and devoted himself entirely 
to a real-estate, loan and mortgage business. 
The Michigan Mortgage Company he organ- 
ized in i888. Later he became a stockholder 
in the new State Bank: was President of the 
State Bank at Car.son City, and a director of 
the Charlevoix Savings Bank. He also took 
I)art in the organization of the St. Louis and 
Ovid banks and was interested in the Durand 
Land Company, being its first president. He 
was elected President of the village of St. 
Johns in 1874 and re-elected in 1S75 and in 
1876. In 1874 he was chosen as the Clinton 
county representative in the Michigan legisla- 
ture. From 1876 to i88j he was also a mem- 
ber of the Board of Regents of the University 
of Michigan and served in other important ad- 
niiiiistrativc and trust cajxicitic's. 

George W. Emmons has been herein referred 
to as the oldest St. Johns settler. Mr. Emmons 
platted Emmonsville or the Emmons addition 
to the village of St. Johns. His father. Phi- 
lanous Emmons, carried on his trade as a 
caiper and mason at Romulus, Seneca 
county. New York. George W. Emmons 
was born al Romulus. New York, in 
1823. When he was twelve years of age he 
came U' Michigan to Novi township, Oakland 
county. The event of his coming to ^lichigan 
was somewhat unusual. ^Vhen he was twelve 
years of age he bound out to one George Rog- 
ers, with whom he remained for some time 
after attaining his majority. He worked to 
eani a tract of eighty acres of land value<l by 
Rogers at one hundred dollars. This piece of 
land Mr. Imuuious subsequently settle<l upon. 
He came to St. Johns in the fall of 1844. mak- 
ing the journey from Howell, in Livingston 



county, on foot. He placed a road which after- 
wards was known as Liuising street in St. 
Johns. In 1855 he made his permanent home 
upon this tract. He built a log shanty with a 
roof of Ijasswood and Ijegan improvements. He 
made a clearing of twenty acres and planted it 
to wheat. C)ne hundred acres of this tract has 
been settled and platted as Emmons' addition 
to St. Johns. He sold lots from this plat and 
siK)n became interested to a large extent in a 
real-estate and loan business. He remained in 
his shanty for four years, then built a frame 
house, then a larger frame house, and finally 
in 1884 he erected a magnificent brick residence 
which is among the finest in central Michigan. 
By industry and the exerci.se of good business 
judgment Mr. Emmons has accumulated a 
considerable fortune. He is heavily interested 
in the State Bank of St. Johns and is a director 
of that institution. 

Among the first merchants to begin business 
in St. Johns John Hicks has been mentioned. 
Mr. Hicks was a Canadian Ijy birth and of 
Engli.sh descent. He located in DeWitt at an 
early dale, where he was employed as a clerk 
and bookkeeper by David Sturgis, who was 
engaged in a milling and mercantile Inisiness. 
Later he became a partner and so remained 
until 1836. when he became a resident of the 
new county seat. Here he engaged in mercan- 
tile enterprises as a dealer in dry goods and 
staples and later l)ecame a grain buyer. .\s 
has been stated, he shipped the first carload of 
grain that left St. Johns by rail. He was 
chairman of the committee who sui^ervised the 
erection i>i the court house and jail; was first 
vice-i)resident of the First National Bank, and 
for manv rears .served as its president. He 
sub.sequently erected an elevator and grain 
warehouse and alsi") engaged in handling coal 
and became the heaxiest coal dealer in St. 
Johns. He acquired large timl)er interests in 
the south and west which subsequently ])roved 
to be very profital)le investments. I'ntil his 
death he was active in business affairs. His 
son. John C. Hicks, succeeded him as mer- 
chant, grain buyer and coal dealer, in which 
lines of business he is at present engagal at St. 



I 



546 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



Jolins. It may be said in this connection that 
Mr. Hicks erected two brick buildings in St. 
Johns and witli R. M. Steel erected a three- 
story brick block which was kno^\'n as the 
Hicks-Steel block. He was also interested in 
enterprises elsewhere, formerly ha\-ing two 
stores in Gratiot county, one at Bridgeville 
and one at Pomijeii ; that he was also interested 
in stave buying, the stock which he purchased 
being shipped to Detroit and the east. For a 
number of years he owned a farm of one hun- 
dred si.xty acres in Essex township and was 
for a period proprietor and manager of the St. 
Joseph Foundry and Agricultural Works. 
Among other investments was a plantation in 
Florida and a ranch in Nebraska. He was one 
of the organizers of the First Methodist Epis- 
copal church and served at one time as chair- 
man of the Democratic county committee. 

John H. Corbit has Ijeen mentioned as the 
pioneer hardware merchant of the village. He 
also arrived in 1856. That year he put on the 
market a general stock of goods which was 
.shipped from Buffalo, New York, to Fenton, 
Michigan, from which point it was transferred 
to St. Johns by means of wagons. The firm 
of Corbit & Moote, formation of w liich has been 
mentioned, carried on the business for three 
years, when Mr. Corbit became sole owner and 
proprietor, and in 1870 built a large store build- 
ing which he still occupies. Later he engaged 
heavily in handling agricultural implements, 
the firm being known as Corbit & Valentine. 
^Ir. Corbit has been interested in the erection 
of .several buildings in St. Johns and now owns 
consideral)le village jjroperty. George S. Cor- 
bit, his brother, came to St. Johns the year 
after the arrival of John H. The two brothers 
built the Independent office, George S. Corbit 
later becoming sole owner. He also was instru- 
mental in the building of the St. Johns Hotel 
and was one of the organizers of the State Bank 
of St. Johns and is at present a director thereof. 
He was a charter member of the St. Johns Gas 
Comi)any and has filled positions of trust in the 
communitv. 

Asher Teachout has been mentioned as a St. 
Johns merchant of the earlier period. He came 



to the state of Michigan from New York state 
when but a lad. Here he resided in Lenawee 
county. He came to St. Johns at an early date 
and engaged with D. C. Hurd in a grocery busi- 
ness and was later associated with .\lvah H. 
\\'alker. In 1882 he built the Teachout block 
which is at present occupied by the modern dry 
goods store of (jeorge H. Chapman. 

In 1857 O. \\^ Munger, a well known St. 
Johns capitalist and banker and produce buyer 
of the ])resent day. came to the little village of 
St. Johns, .\fter looking the ground over, he 
started for New York to purchase a stock of 
goods, .\fter three years of effort Mr. Mun- 
ger was able to purchase the interest of his 
brother in the store. In 1861 a disastrous fire 
destroyed his stock and left him financially dis- 
abled. I'>ecause of the excellent credit lie had 
established for himself, he was enabled to go 
on with his business. He also helped organize 
the First National Bank and served as a director 
of that institution for some time. In 1885 he 
lielpcil organize the State Bank of St. Johns 
nn<I was made its first president. He is still 
lieax'ilv interested in that institution. 

Charles E. Grisson, who at one time was 
connected with the financial institutions of the 
village, was a veteran of the Ci\il war. He 
entered the Union army from the L'niversity 
of Michigan in 186 1 as a private in Company 
"D" of the Fourth Michigan Infantry. In 
1862 he was made .second lieutenant of the 
Twenty-sixth Michigan Infantry ;uid in 1863 
had ri.sen to the rank of first lieutenant. He 
became adjutant in 1864 and later captain, and 
in March, 1865. was bre\etted major of the 
United States Volunteers. He was wounded 
on the field of Sjwttsylvania and after rejoin- 
ing his regiment was retained on the staff of 
General Nelson A. Miles and w-as mustered 
out of the .service in 1866. He was one of the 
guards that had charge of Jefferson Davis at 
Fortress Monroe. After leaving the service, 
he took a prominent part in military affairs of 
the state of Michigan and was instrumental in 
the raising of the standard of the state militia. 
He served on Governor Bagley's staff for two 
terms. Because of his ])osition and services the 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



547 



title ot Colonel was given liini. l)y wliicli he 
was tlierealter known and addressed. He be- 
came i)resideiit of the State Military Board and 
was active in the affairs of the Grand Army of 
the Rei)uhlic. The G. A. R. post at St. Johns 
was named in his honor the Charles E. Gris- 
son post. No. 156. .\fter making his home at 
St. Johns, he was for a lime engaged in the 
grocery hnsiness. He then hecame the teller 
of the first Xational Bank, in which capacity 
he ser\c(I for eleven years. In 1877 he and 
•Mvin Shaver started a private hank, known as 
Shaver & Grisson's Bank, which merged later 
into the State Bank of St. Johns. His death 
occnrred at St. Johns on Xovemher 20. 1882. 
The village of St. Johns and vicinity owe a 
great deal to the l)usiness career of Robert M. 
Steel. His ancestors came to .\merica in 1830, 
where they settled in tiie state of X'ermont. 
\\'illiam Steel, his fatiier. engaged at that place 
in the hnsiness of contracting and building. 
Rol)crt M. Steel was l)orn at Crasburg, Ver- 
mont, in 1833. He received the customary aca- 
demic education and served as an ai^jirentice 
under his father and l)ecame a competent car- 
penter. When Imt a youth he went to Toronto 
and entered the employ of the (irand Trunk 
Railroad Comjjany as a timekeeper. Two 
months later he was given a position as fore- 
man on the road that was being built between 
Toronto and Samia. He later entered into 
partnership with Hayden & Ross, who had 
taken the contract to build the Detroit & Mil- 
waukee Railroad. In order to carry- out his 
work, he moved to St. Johns in 1856. The 
terms of the contract were complied in the fall 
of 1858 and the next year he assumed the 
responsibility of laying the Grand Trunk from 
Detroit to Port Huron. At the saine time he 
was concerned with the W. A. Steams Com- 
pany in the building of a road from Three 
Rivers to Arthaska in Canada, a tliirty-eight 
mile route. In 1859 both contracts were com- 
pleted. In 1862 Steel, with his former partner, 
Ross, entered into a deal under the firm name 
of Ross & Steel, to build the Kansas Pacific, a 
route of three hundred sixty miles. This firm 
had alreadv located one Iiundred miles of the 



line and had twenty-five miles graded when 
the company disiXKsed of its franchises to other 
parties. Steel then formed a partnership under 
the firm name of Kllitliorpe. Adams & Steel, 
and engaged in the building of stone bridges 
for the city of I^avenworth. Kansas. Subse- 
f|uently the task of building the Hannibal & 
St. Joseph Railroad fell to his hands. In 1870 
Steel contractetl to build ninety miles of the St. 
Louis and Southeastern Railroad. In 1872 he 
completetl a contract to build the Carroll & 
\'^incennes route, a distance of one hundred 
sixty-eight miles with culverts and bridges. 
These are not all of the railroad erecting enter- 
])rises in which Mr. Steel was engaged. He 
was the originator of the St. Johns Manufac- 
turing Co., and was the principal stockholder 
and ])resident of that institution. He also was 
prominent in the affairs of the St. Johns Na- 
tional Bank and the Clinton County Savings 
Bank. He was president of the Whipple Har- 
row Co., the St. Johns Evaporator and Pro- 
duce Co.. the St. Johns Electric Light, Heat & 
Power Co., and of the Mutual Gas Co. He 
was also partner in the retail furniture business 
which was operated under the firm name of 
R. M. Steel & Co. He also held an interest in 
the hardware business of Xixon & Co., and was 
president of the St. Johns Mercantile Co. In 
1887 the Steel Hotel, which is the finest hotel 
building in St. Johns, he erected at a cost of 
sixty-five thousand dollars. He also owned 
large real-estate interests in the village. In 
1879 Mr. Steel engaged in his contracting 
business near the western coast. He became 
owner of a large stock ranch in Oregon and 
became interested in mercantile, milling, min- 
ing and lumliering interests at dift'erent points 
in the west. He was a stockholder in the Mer- 
chants" National Bank at Portland, was presi- 
dent of the First National at Island City and of 
the La Grand National of La Grand, and vice- 
]iresident of the First National Bank of Union. 
The great financial disaster which overtook the 
Steel interests subsequently will be referred to 
herein. Whatever the cause of the situation 
that developed, it may be safely said that Rob- 
ert M. Steel was not to be censured, and it is 



548 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



probably true that it is largely through his ef- 
forts and liis local investments that the city of 
St. Johns as we have it today, exists. 

Oliver L. Spaulding, who has for years oc- 
cupied a position connected with the Federal 
Department of the Treasury, was another of 
the pioneers of St. Johns village. His career 
has been prominently identified with the af- 
fairs of the village and of Clinton county 
since he tecame a citizen thereof. He is a 
native of New Hampshire and began the prac- 
tice of law at the village of St. Johns in 1858. 
He laegan his military service in 1862 as Cap- 
tain of the Twenty-third Michigan Volunteer 
Infantry. His rise in the ranks was a rapid 
one, he lieing apjxjinted successively major, lieu- 
tenant colonel and colonel, teing senior officer 
in command of the regiment from the time he 
received his commission as major in 1863. -\t 
the close of the war he was in command of the 
Second Division of the Twenty-third .\nny 
Corps and was brevetted Brigadier General of 
the United States Volunteers, June 25, 1865. 
He was elected a regent of the State University 
in 1858, which position he retained until 1864. 
He was elected Secretary of State in 1868. 
By appointment of President Grant he was 
made special agent of the Treasury Department 
in 1875. Politically influential, he was made 
a member of the state central committee of the 
republican party in 1870 and his congressional 
career began when the republican con\ention 
held at Owosso nominated him by acclamation 
for republican representative for the Sixth dis- 
trict, August 5, 1880. .\fter honorably and 
successfully serving his district in congress. 
General Spaulding was appointed .\ssistant 
Secretary of the Treasury, which appointment 
was a recognition of his remarkable execu- 
tive ability. During his career as a practitioner 
at St. Johns he enjoyed the patronage and con- 
fidence of a large clientage, and although his 
affairs at Washington required his continued 
attention, his name until recently was connected 
with the records of the Clinton county court 
under the firm name of Spaulding, Norton & 
Dooling. It will be noted that General Spauld- 
ing came to St. Johns in 18^8 and in a letter 



of reminiscences of that period he gives an ex- 
cellent view of conditions as they existed in the 
village at an early period. His letter in part 
is as follows : 

"Clinton Avenue was quite a steep hill, but 
the filling at the lower end and the grading have 
much changed it. When I first knew it, water 
stood on the flats except at dry periods. A 
stream of water flowed between the present 
sites of the court house and the ]\Iethodist 
church, and in front of the chiu"ch was a log 
bridge. Part of the old 'angling road' that 
ran 'across lots' from the Elder Lamb place 
across the court house square past the site of 
the Episcopal church, across where the railroad 
afterward made the 'deep cut" and below the 
bridge past the cemetery grounds on to Roches- 
ter Colony. Before the angling road was made 
the Colony people went to DeWitt. the county 
seat, by a wood road east of St. Johns, now 
called the Scott road because it led to Scott's 
at DeWitt, the best they could, through woods 
;m(l swamps, fording the streams, as there were 
no bridges. DeWitt was early known as 
Scott's from Captain Scott who settled there 
and built a hotel, an immen.se affair in those 
days. Laingsburg was named from the pro- 
prietor of the log tavern, who founded the 
town. 'Laing's,' 'Scott's,' 'Lyon's' and 
Ionia were prominent points on the Grand River 
road from DeWitt to Grand Rapids. Lansing 
and St. Johns were then undreamed of, but this 
is leading away from St. Johns. The first 
school meeting I attended was in the unfinished 
house across the street from Mr. Upton's, later 
called the Ash jjlace. .V public school had been 
held in it the pre\-ious summer. School was 
at one time held opposite the present post-ofUce 
and afterwards where the Epi.scopal church is 
niiw. That whole block was set aside for the 
])ul)lic schools by John Swegles and the site of 
the Methodist church was intended for the 
Episcopal church. The Methodists were able 
to build first, so the lot was made over to them 
and later the citizens 'chipped in' to buy the 
bell — the first in town. Later, as the school lot 
ceased to be used as a school, it reverted to the 
proprietors. This right having been purchased 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



549 



liy Mr. .\. li. Walker, one ([uarter of the lot 
was given to the Episcopal church. The other 
churches were Iniilt on the lots originally as- 
signed to them. The first county fair was held 
on the Baptist lot. A very rough frame build- 
ing had been erected through the work of Elder 
Tamb. This was the Hall of 'Exhibits.' Across 
the slashing west of the church, now the street, 
there was tied to a wire fence, one disconsolate, 
lonely calf, the entire live stock of tlie exhil)i- 
tion. The fair grounds were reached from the 
town through a field of blackened stumps. I 
rememlier helping to log off the court house 
square. One of our evening recreations used 
to be burning stumps on the square and Clinton 
Avenue. The first Sunday-schcml I w-as inter- 
ester in was established by the Reverend Mr. 
Mills, a Pre.sbyterian. A literary society 
called the 'Lyceum' was organized in 1857- 
1S58 and flourished for some years. Every- 
body attended. It was popular and a great 
success. A dozen or so of us young fellows — 
we were all young then — did the oratory and a 
good choir did the singing. One popular solo 
by a man you will remember, but whose name 
escapes me, ended, as I remember it. in these 
lines that always brought down the house, 
'And he choked on a hair of his own mous- 
ta.sche.' 

"J. W. Ran.som. John Ran.som. H. C. Hodge, 
W. H. M.K)te, Timothy Baker and H. M. 
Perrin were active members, as were Henry 
Walbridge and others of the old-timers. Later 
P. K. Perrin and Joel Cranson came to town 
and took part in it. As I look back it is 
brought home to me that I alone survive, unless 
J. W. Ransom is living. He was several years 
older than I and the last I knew of him he was 
living in Portland. Oregon. * * * " 

]\Irs. Oliver L. Spaulding is the daughter of 
John Swegles, founder of the village. Mrs. 
Spaulding's recollection of the early days of 
St. Johns is set forth in a paper prepared by 
her for the Indies' Literary Club at St. Johns, 
and is as follows : 

"My father was Auditor-General. We were 
living in Lansing and knowing of the projected 
railroad, at that time called the Oakland and 



Ottawa, he, associated with two other state 
officers, purchased the land now occupied by 
this city. My father laid out the place on paper 
and then secured the assistance of a very able 
civil engineer. He built a good dwelling house 
away back from the street on the lots north of 
the National Bank. Here the engineers with 
their heljjers lived while the work was going 
on. and here we afterward lived. I first saw 
the place as the engineers were closing their 
\\(irk. On each side of Clinton Avenue from 
the court house square to the railroad, were 
piled long rows of brush and logs. My father 
called my attention to the imposing picture the 
future court house would make from the rail- 
road. There was a pretty brook with steep 
banks running through the place diagonally 
from the court house square east past our house. 
This was fed by springs that gave to Spring 
street its name. One of the first needs in build- 
ing the town was lumber. So mv father Inu'lt 
a ,saw-mill and later a large flouring mill, which 
was burned and afterwards rebuilt and is now 
'Wood's Mill." He also started a general 
store which at first was quite a curiosity. We 
were not the real pioneers, but to those who 
came l)efore us belong the name and honor. 
The first hotel was a small one north of Mr. 
Warner Bunday's residence, with a sign, 'Pros- 
pect House by L. Hall.' It served its purpose 
for a time, but before the railroad came my 
father said there must be a fir.st class hotel, so 
he built line, bringing furniture and fittings 
from DeWitt. St. Johns was for a long time 
the terminus of the railroad. There was a line 
of great stage coaches ninning daily and at the 
session fif the legislature, twice a day, to Lan- 
sing, as this was the most direct road before 
the 'Ram's Horn' was built. When we first 
came here there were no schools, so my mother 
sent for her sister, who taught us at home. So 
many others desired their children to receive 
instruction that she finally rented a room about 
where .A. O. Hunt's drug store now stands. 
The next year Miss Kinmond took her place, 
my aunt desiring to return east. Several pri- 
vate schools were establishefl at various times. 
The first public school was taught by Jay Wil- 



.TD' 



^O 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



cox. ^Irs. Mary Richmond was another early 
teacher. The fir.st school house was built on 
the present site of the Episcopal church. Init 
later persons desiring to improve the southern 
part of the town, secured the remo\al of the 
.school to its present location, where it opened 
with Air. Nixon as superintendent. With the 
exception of Mr. George W. Emmons and Air. 
George W. Estes. I am die oldest inhabitant of 
St. Johns : in fact the only lady now living who 
recalls the very early days." 

The Hon. Henry M. Perrin's connection 
with St. Johns affairs has already been referred 
to in connection with his term as Judge of 
Probate of Clinton county. It will be remem- 
bered that Air. Perrin was an influential mem- 
ber nf the state legislature, being elected to that 
ot^ce No\ember 8, 1864. Air. Perrin's career 
was prominently identified with the ])rogress 
of Clinton county, as well as with the city of 
St. Johns. .After he became interested in marsh 
lands which lay north of St. Johns and are still 
known as the "Perrin Alansh," and while a 
member of the state legislature, he procured 
the passage of the first drain law of the state 
of Michigan. At this time this statute was 
largely an experiment and great difficulty in 
carrying out its provisions was encountered. 
A small ditch was made in the Perrin marsh 
and one in the Chandler marsh in Bath town- 
ship. Attempts were made to drain the bot- 
toms along Stony Creek, but there was much 
opposition of the most bitter kind and the law 
was crude and defective and consequently little 
was accomplished. The sentiment ag^ainst the 
drain law at that time was well nigh prohibi- 
tive. 

Randolph Strickland, known in his day as 
one of the leading members of the Clinton 
county bar, must be mentioned as a St. Johns 
citizen whose career had an important influence 
on the trend of events in the village and county. 
He was a native of Livingston county. New 
York, and came to Michigan in 1844. He 
studied law two years in Portland, Ionia 
county, and in 1847 entered the law office of 
Joe Baker at DeWitt, where he continued his 
residence until his admission to the bar in 1849. 



He was prosecuting attorney of Clinton county 
from 1852 to 1858 and again in 1862. He 
was state senator from i860 to 1862, provost 
marshal from 1863 to 1865, and served as a 
member of the republican state central com- 
mittee, as a delegate to the national convention 
in 1856 and in 1858 was the congressman from 
his district in the Forty-first Congress, and 
served on the committees on Invalid Pensions 
and Alines and Alining. He changed his loca- 
tion from DeWitt to the village of St. Johns 
in 1862. In 1878 the greenback party made an 
attempt to carry the county elections. Ran- 
dolph Strickland joined the greenbackers and 
wearing a new plug hat, stumjjed the county, 
tra\eling from place to place with an old gray 
horse. He was nominated by the greenbackers 
for prosecuting attorney. .Although an ex- 
congressman, he made fifty school house 
speeches during the campaign and was defeated. 
During that campaign the Democrats took to 
"hard money and free trade." 

Captain Henry Walbridge began the prac- 
tice of law in the village of St. Johns in 1856. 
He serv'ed as prosecuting attorney for the 
county for several different terms during his 
career as an attorney. He joined the Union 
army in 1862 and raised Company "G" of the 
Twenty-third Alichigan Infantry, of which 
coni])any he was made captain. After two 
years of service, on account of ill health he was 
compelled to return to private pursuits and be- 
gan anew his practice at St. Johns. Here he 
remained until sometime in 1888, when he lo- 
cated in Ithaca in Gratiot county, later return- 
ing to his home village. Air. Walbridge took 
part in the campaign of 1896, known as the 
"Free Silver campaign." 

\Varner Bunday came to St. Johns in 1868 
and is now engaged in a retail business and is 
one of the few St. Johns business men who 
were engaged in business during this early 
period. 

Alonzo Hunt, who was a member of the 
firm of Hunt Brothers, druggists, began busi- 
ness in St. Johns in the same year, and is to the 
present date in active charge of his store. 

In 1 87 1 David S. French came to the village 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



;5i 



of St. Johns from Piqua, Ohio, a.s secretary of 
what has since heen known as the St. Johns 
^laiuifacturiny Company. Mr. French served 
in this cajjacily dnring tile life of that corpora- 
tion and at ])resent resides uixtn l)is estate in 
Greenhnsh township, where he cnntkicts a larsje 
farm, lie is also interested in several St. Johns 
business enterprises. 

Life in St. Johns villas^e dnrinj^- pioneer days 
is interestingly portrayed in a letter of reminis- 
cen.ses from Mrs. W. W. P.rainard. written at 
Loyalton. California, October (^. 1905, to the 
Ladies" Literary Club of St. Johns, which is in 
part given below : 

"Imagine, if you please, a siuall party leav- 
ing the City of Cleveland. Ohio, in the summer 
of 1856. in quest of a location for a home in 
Michigan, and fancy our surprise when we 
reached Owosso to find that we could proceed 
no farther by rail. Mv husband and brother pro- 
cured a conxevance and 1 sent them on to s])y 
out the land. However, they did not remain 
forty days, nor did they bring back a report 
that the people were overgrown physically nor 
the fruit unusually large; but they returned 
reporting a little inland town with wide-awake 
jjeople and fine opportunities for an energetic 
lumberman and builder. We had nothing to 
conquer but circumstances and environments. 
I had a pleasant time in the little village of 
Owosso while awaiting their return, and we 
then turned liack to wait for the completion 
of the railroad and we were among die first to 
'bump' over its new njad. On reaching the 
end of the line, or the jumping-oflf place, as it 
looked to me, we were met l)y Dr. Leech, who 
piloted us up the streets between stumps and 
over mud-holes to the .American House, kept 
by Mr. and Mrs. John Swegles. W'e were ready 
with many others, to do ample justice to a din- 
ner of baked pork and beans, with elderterry 
pie and the scent of new pine for desert. * * 
* Our friends had not been able to secure 
even a shanty for us to live in, and to the 
question. 'Can we stay at the hotel for a few 
days or weeks?" the hostess replied, 'Am sorry, 
but we are crowded. We can board you, but 
have no room." That was a predicament, but 

35 



Dr. an<l .Mrs. Leech came to the rescue with a 
welcome to their home, a very large room back 
of the drug store. I think the building still 
stands remodeled, a few doors north of the 
St. Johns Mouse (now the Steel), once occu- 
pied by William 1 licks. In that back room 
were two beils curtained off. a little crib in 
which sle])t a line baby boy, one large cook 
stove, dining and kitchen tables and a cup- 
board. Imagine, if you please, that four adults 
and the baby lived in that one room. In a few 
days a (jerman, veiy homesick for his West- 
phalia, sold his little home to us. It sood on 
the corner where the residence of William 
Cochran now stands. W'e liked it because it 
was near the comer where we had already 
bought. This little house was all ready and 
g;i\c me something to do in sweeping out the 
sand which kept sifting through the cracks of 
the ceiling. The space lietween clapboards and 
the ceiling was filled with sand, the pioneer 
mortar. The road east of us was newly laid 
out. Beyond us were the beautiful, dreadful 
wo(h1s. close enough to make one afraid of In- 
dians and snake.s — they were the terror of my 
davs. * * * Wlicn the Indian, old 
'Tuggy Michigan," in his faded finery, called 
too often for bread, I woukl take my sewing or 
reading and sit within calling distance of my 
husband when our house was being built and 
the clearing was being made. Mr. J^rainard 
.soon had a saw-mill set up in a rented building 
near the railroad, and turning out boards, but 
they were unfit for immediate use. All dry 
timber had to be brought from Craven's Mill, 
as I rememlTer, a distance of forty miles. In 
the fall of 1857 we moved into our new house, 
the same practically as it stands today. I 
think that early in 1858, a little one-story 
school house was built where the Episcopal 
church now stands. West of us was Timothy 
Baker's house, north a vacant lot, and south 
basquclle's corner. The first sermon I heard 
was by Elder Gundennan, where the Baptist 
church now stands. They had commenced a 
clearing for the church. The seats were rough 
toards across log stumps, with an improvised 
platform for the minister. After that we had 



552 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



preaching once in two weeks, alternating be- 
tween a Presbyterian and a Methodist circuit 
minister. The meetings were first held over 
Stephenson's store and afterwards in Plum- 
stead Hall. It was here we gathered in i860 
to sew and scrape lint for the soldiers in the 
south — the first relief corps. No pioneer story 
is complete without a bear. In 1858 nuts in the 
woods were scarce and Bruin was induced too 
near habitation. Brave men were .soon on his 
trail, and the creature running directly through 
our front yard, was finally shot on the court 
house lawn. The sign, 'Keep off the Grass,' 
was not then visible. * * * " 

George S. Corbit states that where the 
Methodist church site now is, was in the early 
days a regular frog-pond, which was used as a 
dumping ground; that the same is true as re- 
gards the site now occupied by the residences 
of C. E. Ball and R. M. Steel. In those days 
trade was peculiar. It began at ten o'clock in 
the morning and closed at atout four o'clock 
in the afternoon. People came to St. Johns 
from within a radius of forty miles. Plum- 
stead & Sons often sold as high as nine hun- 
dred dollars' worth of goods in one day. From 
1856 to 1857 the population of the village did 
not exceed three hundred. The fire protection 
consisted of a Inicket brigaile — a volunteer or- 
ganization. I'igeons were shot off the trees 
on Clinton .\venue; during the smoky season 
bear and deer came within the limits of the 
town. Two-wheeled ox carts were very com- 
mon as being most convenient vehicles to be 
used upon the primitive roads. Trade with 
money was gold entirely, as all the money 
which came to this new country was brought 
by parties from the east. The Clinton House 
stood on the site of the Emmons block at the 
corner of Clinton .\venue and State street, and 
Mr. Corbit relates his first experience as a voter 
as follows : "The booths were in this hotel and 
the voters voted through a window from the 
outside. Randolph Strickland was in charge 
of the election and as the young voter stepped 
up to vote through the window, his question, 
'Are you a voter, sir?' given in a severe man- 
ner, thoroughly frightened the young citizen." 



Mention has been made of the foundry which 
was established in 1857 by Archelaus Silsbe. 
The principal product of this foundry was plow 
points and general castings. \\'illiam H. 
Moote who has been mentioned in con- 
nection with the firm of Corbit & 
iMoote became a partner in this enterprise. In 
1873 John Hicks, the St. Johns capitalist and 
merchant, became interested in this concern. 
The establi-shment of the St. Johns Foundry & 
.Agricultural \Vorks followed. General ma- 
chine castings and the "Victor Mower" were 
the products. The property and plant after be- 
ing operated for a time under the Hicks man- 
agement, passed into other hands. Within 
recent years, the firm of Frank Weller and 
William Daggett operated the business until 
Mr. Weller's decease. Since that time Mr. 
Daggett has become proprietor of the concern 
which is now known as the St. Johns Iron 
\\'orks. The foundry- now does general cus- 
tom work and is engaged in the manufacture of 
a double-expansion road culvert which is hav- 
ing a large sale throughout the country. 

Of all the manufacturing industries which 
have contributed to the prosperity of St. Johns, 
the St. Johns Manufacturing Company's en- 
terprise is probably the most important. Until 
the removal of the business to the cit}' of Cadil- 
lac, Michigan, in the fall of 1905, the table 
factory has furnished employment to a large 
number of men and has distributed a great deal 
of money at St. Johns. The origin of this 
institution may be traced to the arrival of W. 
W. Brainard in 1857. He came to St. Johns 
from the state of Ohio with his carpenter tools 
and set up his carjienter shop in a portion of 
the promoting company's saw-mill, which he 
rented and carried on in connection with his 
business as a contractor and builder. The next 
year after his arrival he left the mill and bought 
a place on Walker street, a building which had 
been erected by Wilbur Ash in 1857. This 
he occupied as a carpenter shop and later as a 
cabinet shop. Brainard put in some machinerj' 
and began the business of manufacturing cabi- 
nets. He remained at this place two years, 
when he again moved to Spring street south of 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



553 



Walker street, where lie erected a factory of 
considerable proportions. At this place the firm 
of Brainard & .Andrews (Charles B. Andrews 
being the second member) carried on a fnrni- 
ture manufacturing industry until 1868. On 
January 9th of that year, the St. Johns Manu- 
facturing Company was organized bv R. M. 
Steel, William Steel, W. W. Brainard, Oliver 
Hiddon and J. L. Paldi. who purchased the 
jiroperty and business of Brainard & Andrews. 
R. M. Steel was named president of the new 
company, J. L. Paldi its secretary, and W. W. 
Brainard its superintendent. The corporation 
was chartered with a capital stock of one hun- 
dred twenty thousand dollars and liegan at once 
the erection of large factor}- buildings at what 
was then the north edge of the \-illage near the 
railroad track. While the new buildings were 
under process of construction, the old factory on 
Spring street was burned in Decemljer. 1868. 
The only article saved from the fire was an 
adz. In spite of its loss, the company, how- 
ever, proceeded with energy to complete its 
new factory and in March, 1869, the St. Johns 
Manufacturing Company started its plant with 
a force of thirty men. The main building was 
ninety-six feet in length by fifty feet in width, 
two stories in height and with a basement. The 
ground floor was used for boiler and engine 
rooms and the upper floors as shop rooms. Ad- 
ditions were soon made to be utilized as store- 
houses. E.xtensive timber tracts were pur- 
chased in Gratiot county and elsewhere and 
saw-mills were built and operated in connec- 
tion with the manufacturing industry, and the 
company engaged considerably in the lumber 
business. In 1874 the capacity of the plant 
was further increased ami the buildings en- 
larged until die plant covered six acres of 
ground. J. L. Paldi was succeeded as secre- 
tary- in 1870 by David S. French, and for years 
R.M. Steel, William Steel and W. W. Brain- 
ard were the only stockholders. For a period 
the company manufactured a variety of arti- 
cles, but soon devoted itself to the manufacture 
of tables, holding a valuable patent upon exten- 
sion slides for extension tables. Their product 
was shipped to all parts of the world, and in 



1879 two million feet of pine and five hundred 
thousand feet of hardwood were consumed by 
the company. The further historj' of this in- 
dustry will be treated in connection with the 
R. y'l. Steel failure. 

In 1875 the St. Johns Co-operative Company 
was formed. The founders were .\lfred S. 
Fildew. Ira D. Nichols, D. L. Nichols and 
Frank Fildew. The company was organized 
to engage in the manufacture of doors, sashes 
and blinds. In 1879 I. D. Nichols was acci- 
dentally killed in the factory, and the concern 
sixm passed under the control of Fildew Broth- 
ers, who subsequently added a spoke factory 
to the ])lant. .Vlfrerl S. Fildew was president 
and secretary of this company. It did a general 
contracting and building business. At the 
time of the addition of the spoke factory men- 
tioned, a reorganization was effected, and Mr. 
Fildew became secretary. Timber becoming 
scarce in the vicinity, a change was made and 
what is now known as the Cooper Boiler & En- 
gine Company was established. This concern 
was operated but a short time when the enter- 
prise was abandoned. 

In 1857 H. C. Hodge started the pioneer 
bank of the village of St. Johns on the west 
side of Clinton .\venue. This bank was a 
small concern with limited assets, but was an 
important enterprise to the new village in its 
day. The proprietor of this business continued 
to loan money until 1864, after which time 
Timothy Baker and .\. G. Higham conducted a 
bank under the firm name of Baker & Higham, 
which business was soon abandoned. In 1864 
Samuel S. Walker opened a banking ofiice in 
the store of O. W. Munger. In 1877 Shaver 
& Grisson founded a pri\ate bank which for 
several years occupied quarters in the Steel 
Block. The pioneer Ixink of St. Johns is the 
St. Johns National Bank, which has been doing 
business for upwards of forty years. This in- 
stitution is the successor of the First National 
Bank of St. Johns. The charter of the First 
National Bank was issued in 1865. The first 
president was Charles Kipp. and as has been 
stated, the late John Hicks became the first 
vice-president and Samuel S. Walker, cashier. 



554 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



Tlie capital of this institution was fixed at 
fifty thousand dollars. The first charter ex- 
pired in 18S5 and at that time the name was 
changed to the present one. S. S. Walker was 
succeeded by C. E. Ball as cashier in 1877, 
who was in turn succeeded by Galusha Pennell, 
who is at present connected with the institution 
in an official way. Mr. Penneirs administra- 
tion was followed by Peter E. Walsworth, who 
at ])resent is a member of the real-estate 
and money-loaning firm of Baldwin & 
Walsworth. R. C. Decker, the jiresent cash- 
ier, followed Air. Walsworth. he having 
served the bank in various capacities for 
a term of years prior to becoming cashier. 
The progress of this banking institution has 
been gradual and substantial. Its development 
is indicated by the fact that in 1880 its deposits 
amounted to $76,649.00 on a given date, while 
on a corresponding date of 1905, the amount 
of deposits was $192,855.00. The career df 
this liank has been one of sound conser\atism. 
It is one of the lianking institutions of central 
Michigan which lived thro' the financial 
panic of 1892-96; the fact being that during 
that st(irm\- period this bank was at all times 
well protected. John C. Hicks is president: 
Galusha Pennell, vice-president; R. C. Dexter, 
cashier. The present board of directors are 
Warner Bunflay, C. E. Ball, O. P. DeA\'itt, 
C. C. Vaughan, P. E. WrUsworth, John C. 
Hicks, Galu.sha Pennell. Claud Briggs occu- 
pies the position of teller ; Lloyd Webster is 
note clerk; and Hugh Kniffin is b(x)kkeei)er. 

The State Bank of St. Johns, another strong 
financial institution of the county, was organ- 
ized in 1885. O. W. ]\Iunger was its first pres- 
ident, George F. ]\Iarvin its vice-president, and 
Alvin Shaver, cashier. Following Mr. Shaver, 
Edward Brown and D. H. Powers have served 
the bank as cashier. In 1890 Porter K. Perrin 
became president, which position he held almost 
continuously to the day of his death. In 189 1 
John W. Fitzgerald became cashier and remains 
in that capacity to the present date. Fifteen 
years ago the bank's deposits amounted to 
$78,000. In a period of five years they had in- 
creased approximately to $100,000.00. At the 



present time the deposits amount to upwards 
of $425,000.00. The savings department of 
this bank has shown remarkable development. 
Cashier Fitzgerald having given especial atten- 
tion to this branch of the bank's business. The 
bank is conservative in the matter of securities, 
a large proportion being first mortgage real- 
estate loans. 

The officers of the bank at the present date 
are as follows: President. O. W. Munger; vice- 
president, John H. Corbit; cashier, John W. 
Fitzgerald ; bcjard of directors. Dr. G. E. Cor- 
bin, Otis Fuller, Jesse Sullivan, F A. Travis, 
George W. Emmons, Charles T. Babcock, O. 
W. ]\Iunger. John H. Corbit and J. W. Fitz- 
gerald. Directors Munger, Corbit, Emmons, 
Sullivan and Fuller have served in that capac- 
ity since the organization of the first board of 
directors. The present teller is Frank L. 
Ihome. who has been connected with the bank 
for upwards of five years. He succeeded Rod- 
ney Beebe. who for years served the bank effi- 
ciently in the capacity of teller. Arthur Jury 
and Ellsworth Tallmadge are also connected 
with the bank. 

The L'linton County Savings Bank confines 
its business to .savings accounts exclusively. It 
was organized in 1889 with a capital stock of 
$35,000.00. Its first president was Albert J. 
Baldwin: Galusha Pennell, vice-president; P. 
]•.. Walsworth, treasurer: R. C. Dexter, assist- 
.'int treasurer, .\fter seven years of business, 
its savings amounted to upwards of one hun- 
dred and fifty thousand dollars. The savings 
deposits certificates held by the institution at 
the present time, amount to appro.ximately 
$430,000.00. The bank confines its invest- 
ments to bonds and mortgages and other first- 
class securities. The official roll of the bank 
is as follows: President, .V. J. Baldwin; vice- 
president, Galusha Pennell ; secretary and treas- 
urer, R. C. Dexter; teller, Lloyd Webster. On 
the board of directors are John C. Hicks, C. C. 
Vaughan, Warner Bunday, C. E. Ball, O. P. 
De^^'itt, F. A. Percey, A. J. Baldwin, Galusha 
Pennell and P. E. Walsworth. In this con- 
nection it is well to mention the St. Johns 
Building & Loan Association. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



JDO 



Tliis institution has l)een an imixirtant factor 
in the (lc\clni>inent of the \illa<je and city of St. 
lohns. Tliis is a verv prosperous institution 
and is founded upon a stable basis. It was or- 
Cfanized in iS(;o and boi^an doint;' business Janu- 
ary (>\h cif that year. Its first officers were, presi- 
dent, T. -X. Lee: \ice-president. D. .^. I'rcnch : 
secretary. R. C. Dexter: treasurer. (.'. I-".. I'aJl. 
These persons, with V.. C. Whetstone ami T. 
C. Ileacli. constituted the board of directors. 
In a slu)rl time I'rank M. Spaulding became 
secretar\- of the concern and has so remained 
to the present date. The present officers are : 
President. C. C. Waugfhan : \ice-president. 
Giarles l-owler; secretary. V. .M. Spaulding; 
treasurer. R. C. Dexter: who in addition to the 
following i)ersons constitute the bo;u"d of direct- 
ors: .\. E. Richardson. John C. Hicks. J. ?>. 
Dodge. M. D., William ^L Smith and John 
T. Millman. In i8yi the amount ])aid in on 
shares was $9,961.00, and $io.373.cx) was in- 
vested in first mortgage securities. 

In a ])ublished statement issued in 1904 the 
amount paid in on shares is stated to aggre- 
gate $73,328.70, widi $81,125.00 investeil in 
securities, and with $10,871.45 in undivided 
])rofits. In its practical working, this associ- 
ation is a valualde institution to the community 
in general. It aids the citizens of St. Johns in 
becoming owners of homes and fosters the prac- 
tice of the investment of small earnings. 

While it is tnie that in the matter of linan- 
cial and business institutions. St. Johns has 
been unusually favored, the intellectual, social 
and religious life has been and is of a high 
order. The city is exceptionally attractive in 
apjicarance ami the homes and ])ublic build- 
ings on its streets are exce])tionall\- well cared 
for. .\ visitor to the citv woul<l Ik.- attracted 
by the splendid chin-ch edifices which occupy 
prominent positions within the corporate lim- 
its. 

The St. Johns Episcojial Church, the loca- 
tion of which has been referred to. was form- 
ally organized as early as 1858. The society 
began with a membership of twelve and con- 
tinued to exist until the l)eginning of 
the Civil war. At that time the S(X"ietv 



was practically abandoned and held no 
services until at the close of the war; 
Rev. Th(»mas B. Dof)ley being the rector who 
engaged himself in the reorganization of the 
church. In 18^)6, after several changes, the 
Rev. S. S, Chapin, by the rewmmendation of 
the Rev, C.eorge I), (iillespie. now Bishop of 
Western Michigan, accejjted a call to this par- 
ish. .\Ir. Chapin recentlv returned to the city 
ol St. Johns, where he is spending the declining 
years of a noble and useful life of service to 
his church. The first church building was 
erected in 1867, and was destroved bv fire in 
1893. It was soon rebuilt and the Episcf)pal 
.society now occupies one of the finest stone 
churches in this section of the state. The 
Woman's fiuild is a prominent auxiliary of the 
church society, as is the Brotherhood of St, 
.Xndrew. Rev, Josepli T. Ewing, who is serv- 
ing his seventh year as the rector of this parish, 
is a graduate of .Mlegheny College. Pennsyl- 
vania, and of the deneral 'i'heological Semi- 
nary, New York, and his administration of the 
society's affairs h.is been marked by a generous 
and broad-minded scholarshii). 

The first Methodist [-"iiiscoijal church r)rgan- 
ized in St. Johns, dates to the month of Sep- 
tember in 1856, when a class of nine meml)ers 
w ere iniited under the leadership of one Ethan 
Allen, Church services were held in various 
places for ten years, when a building, which is 
occupied as the site of Murdock's Granite & 
Marble Works, was secured by the society. 
The growth of this organization was regidar 
until 1872. when it was offered a site located in 
the rear of the ])resent church lot. .\dvantage 
was taken of this opportunity and the church 
structure was erected, which did good service 
until i8(;5, when the present costly and com- 
modious edifice was built. The expense of 
this structure was approximately twenty-five 
thousand dollars. The auditorium of this 
church will readily accommo<late one thousand 
two hundred people. Recently a i^ipe organ 
was installed as a memorial to the late John 
T licks. The church has eight charter members 
still living, five of these ])arties residing in St. 
Tohns. Thev are: Mrs. Eliza Hicks, Mrs. 



556 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



Harriet Brainard (wlio is for the present in 
the state of Cahfornia), Mrs. Jane Congdon. 
Mr. and Mrs. H. B. Bhss. The non-resident 
charter members are : Miss Ruby Thayer, of 
Sciota, and Mr. and Mrs. William Sickels, of 
Sickelsville. In membership this church num- 
bers a large number of the influential citizens 
of St. Johns and the surrounding townships. 
The organization is on a firm basis financially 
and is an effective factor in the social and re- 
ligious life of the community. 

The last church edifice to be erected was 
the First Congregational Church at St. Johns. 
The Congregational organization dates back to 
April I, i860, at a meeting held at the home of 
James Ransom. Eight persons were present 
at this gathering, and after an organization 
was i^erfected. a call was extended to Rev. 
William Esler, of Eagle. At first, this society 
held its meetings in an old school-house; later 
in Plumstead's Hall. The village company 
tendered a site to the society, which began at 
once the raising of funds for the building of 
a church home. The Congregational Building 
Society contributed five htmdred dollars to- 
wards the enterprise, and the remainder was 
raised by subscriptions. The building contract 
in 1863 was awarded to W. \\\ Brainard. and 
two years later the church building was dedi- 
cated free from debt. On October 13, 1899, 
the corner stone of the present splendid edifice 
was laid. Less than two years after this cere- 
mony, the new building was formally dedi- 
cated. The structure is of stone and the trim- 
mings of red pressed brick. The st_\'le of archi- 
tecture is simple Gothic. The tower, which is 
a characteristic feature of the building stands 
one hundred nine feet. The interior of the 
church is richly finished in oak and southern 
l)inc, the auditorium floor being an inclined 
semi-circle. The seating capacity of the audi- 
torium is u])\\ards oi fi\'e hundred and the ad- 
joining ])arIors. which can be connected with 
the auditorium. lia\-e a seating capacity of at 
least two hundred. 

The history of this church is indicatix'e of 
the remarkable changes which have taken place 
in Clinton countv. When services were held 



in old Clinton Hall in 1862. the nx^m was so 
low that a person could reach the ceiling. The 
meetings were repeatedly disturbed by cows 
running loose on the commons. The cost of 
their first church building was three thousand 
two hundred dollars, and great efifort and sacri- 
fice were necessary on the part of its small 
membership in order that the necessar)- funds 
were provided. The appro.ximate cost of the 
present building is twenty-five thousand dol- 
lars. The Congregational society is at pres- 
ent in charge of the Rev. James Hyslop, who 
came to St. Johns directly from Charlevoix. 
Michigan. 

The building, as it now stands, completed, 
has an auditorium that will seat about five 
hundred persons. Immediately back of the 
pulpit platform is the choir-loft, which is of 
ample space to accommodate the pipe-organ 
and fifty singers; while to the right and left 
respectively, are the pastor's study and a room 
for the use of the choir. At the rear of the 
auditorium and separated from it by a rolling 
partition, are the apartments for the Sunday- 
school. These consist of a main room twenty 
by thirt\- feet in size, and si.x class nxjms, two 
of which are designated for ladies' parlors, ex- 
tending in a large semi-circle around the entire 
east end of the building. These apartments 
will accommodate upwards of two hundred 
persons. 

A prominent feature of these rooms is the 
large semi-circnflar skylight in the center, with 
colored ceiling lights underneath. Immediately 
above the main Sundax-school mom is a room 
of the same size for the primary dej)artment. 

The large leaded glass windows in the north 
and south sides of the auditorium are another 
])roniinent feature of the building. Thev con- 
tain no memorial lights, but are an harmonious 
blending of emblematic and floral designs. In 
the center of the north window is a large cross, 
emblematic of Faith : and in the corresponding 
space in the south window, an anchor, emble- 
matic of Hope. On either side of the center 
are floral designs in calla lilies and torches. 

The interior is finished in oak and southern 
pine. The auditorium floor is an inclined semi- 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



557 



circle and the pews are of tlie same fnrni, made 
of oak. Ilie pulpit, built and presented to the 
church by H. \V. Morris, of St. Johns, is of 
selected quarter-sawed oak, and is a most beau- 
tiful example of the Ionic order of architecture. 

The basement contains a social or dininjj- 
room of the same size as the auditdrium, 
kitchen and pantry fully equipjwd with cooking 
utensils, dishes, etc.. ladies' and gentlemen's 
wanlrobes. furnace, fuel rooms, etc. The 
building is warmed throughout by hoi air and 
has two ventilating shafts. The artificial light- 
ing is by electricity ; there being nearly two 
hundred lamps installed in the building. 

The exterior wails are of selected native 
boulders of the most beautiful composition, 
revealing, when broken, an history of deepest 
interest. The style of work is what is termed 
rough or bmken ashlar. From grade to fl(X)r 
line, it is laid in regular courses ; and from the 
floor line up, the work is in irregidar courses, 
sometimes termed hit and miss. The trim- 
mings are of red pressed-brick, Ohio and Ionia 
sandstone. The corner-stone is of Medina 
sandstone from Holly, New York. It was laid 
with appropriate ceremonies. October 13, 1899, 
in the northeast corner of the tower. Within 
it are many articles of interest : A copy of the 
Holy Bible, a brief history- of the church, copies 
of the village papers, lists of otTicers and mem- 
bers of the church and Sunday-school and 
Christian Endeavor societies, members of the 
building committee, coin bearing date of the 
year 1H99. a catalogue of Olivet College, and 
various other articles. Its north face l)ears the 
corporate name of the church, the year founded 
and the year 1899. On the east face is the 
beautiful motto, jnirely Congregational in its 
spirit, "One is your Master, even Christ, and 
all ye are brethren." 

The style of the architecture is Crfithic in its 
earliest and simple form. The tower is the fea- 
ture of the building. It is nineteen feet sfjuare 
at its base and gradually diminishes in size t<i 
the top of the spire, one hundred and nine feet 
al)o\e the grade. 

The work was commenced in August, 1899, 
by V. Ranhagel & Son, contractors, and the 



walls carried up a few feet above the main 
floor that year; but Mr. Banhagel dying the 
winter following, the contract was voided, and 
in the spring the work was resumed l)y the 
building committee, who intmsted its supervi- 
sion to an executive committee of three, con- 
sisting of P. E. Walsworth, A. S. Fildew and 
Albert J. Baldwin. 

The cost of the building, complete, is about 
as follows : 

Mason work $9,000 

Carpenter work 9.000 

Heating 700 

Lighting 600 

Seating 9°° 

Structural iron work 800 

Glass 1,000 

Plumbing, painting and incidentals 1,000 

Building lots 2.000 



$25,000 
The interests of iniblic education are well 
cared for in the city of St. Johns, and the whole 
county enjoys the benefit of the St. Johns pub- 
lic schools, which have been and are on a high 
plane of efficiency. The tax-payers of this mu- 
nicipality have always been generous in the 
matter of providing funds and e(|uipment for 
educational purposes. The present Central 
building was completed in the year 1886 at an 
original cost of approximately fifty thousand 
dollars. This building has been remodeled 
throughout during successive years. The High 
School is splendidly e(|uipped with chemical 
and physical lalHiratories. and the general li- 
brarv is one of the most comprehensive in the 
state. The St. Johns High School receives the 
patronage of a large number of foreign stu- 
dents, principally from various parts of Clinton 
county. 

.\n ini])ortant feature is the Clinton County 
Normal Training Class, which has been re- 
centlv organized, according to the provisions of 
the new state law. 

Upon the Fioard < >i Education are the follmv- 
ing members: Charles M. Merrill, Henry 
Parr. Charles P. Baker. M. F. Washburn and 
Will 11. Bnmwm. Besides the Central School 



558 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



building, the cit)- has two ward Iniildings. fine 
in the first ward, located in the eastern portion 
of tiie city, and the north ward, wliich is lo- 
cated in the northwestern section thereof. 

In the matter of pul)lic improvements in gen- 
eral, the city of St. Johns ranks exceptionally 
well. During the last five \'ears. miles of ce- 
ment and concrete sidewalks have been built 
at an enormous expense, so that at present there 
is very little sidewalk l)ui!ding to be done in 
the city. For years the city has owned a mu- 
nicipal electric light and water plant, and at 
an earlv date instrdled a comjjlete sewer sys- 
tem. Clinton avenue, the ])rincipal business 
street of the cit\-, and a portion of \\^alker 
street and of Higham street, have been laid 
with a modern 1)rick pavement, and it is but a 
question of a few years before the streets in 
<he business portions of the city will be paved 
throughout. .As has been stated, St. Johns is 
principally engaged in retail trade, being sur- 
rounded by an agriaiitural community. 

Its princijjal manufacturing establishment 
has been, to a recent date, the St. Johns Table 
Company, formerly designated as the St. Johns 
Manufacturing Company. This institution at 
St. Johns was recently abandoned and removed 
to the city of Cadillac, in Wexford county. 
Michigan, in the heart of the timber country, 
and an effort is being made at the present time, 
by the co-operation of the city ofificials and the 
Business Men's .As.sociation, to procure the oc- 
cupation of the Table Company's buildings by 
another manufacturing concern, adapted to the 
location of the city. On the other hand, the 
manufacturing institutions of St. Johns are 
represented by gasoline and engine works, a 
canning factory, a creamery, a companv manu- 
facturing hardware sup])lies, a mattress and 
quilt factory, and a carriage and wagon fac- 
tory, and other manufacturing concerns of mi- 
nor im|iortance. which in the future mav de- 
velop and become ranking industries. 

Before considering .St. Johns' business inter- 
ests in detail, reference should lie made to the 
United States ])nst-office at this place, which 
is the center of the raral free delivery svstem 
for and throughout Clinton county. The St. 



Johns post-office is unique in the matter of 
monev orders. Out of the sixteen rural free 
delivery routes which are supplied from the 
])ost-office at this cit\'. thirteen are officiallv a 
part of the St. Johns office. The number of 
money orders, it is said, sold on these routes, 
exceeds that of any other ofiice in the United 
States, the nearest approach lieing the office at 
Wellington, Maryland, which does not equal 
the total amount of sales made through the St. 
Johns office, although it has five more rural 
routes. During the year ending .\ugust i. 
1905. orders were issued from the St. Johns 
office in the sum of $45,010, and the sum of 
$37,163 was paid from the office on orders pre- 
sented to it. 

In an article entitled "Entire County Deliv- 
ery," prepared by Postmaster Will H. Bnui- 
son, of the city of St. Johns, the rural flelivery 
system in vogue in Clinton county is carefully 
described. In reference to the Clinton county 
])ost-office Mr. Brunson says: 

"Entire county delivery means that the mail 
is delivered at the door of substantially every 
farmer in the county. A few on the cross- 
roads or in isolated spots still need to go to 
the corner from forty rods to a half mile in 
order to get their mail, but the number of farm- 
ers who do this is very small. 

In May, 1900, the writer of this article was 
in Washington. D. C on business connected 
with the post-office at St. Johns. Michigan. 
While there, he made a visit to Carroll county, 
Maryland, and inspected the rural delivery sys- 
tem of that county and was so much pleased 
with it that he returned immediately to Wash- 
ington and made application in iierson and by 
letter to F'ostmaster General Smith and to Gen- 
eral Superintendent Alachen for the introduc- 
tion of entire countv nn"al free deliverv into 
Clinton countv. This application was after- 
wards backerl up bv a petition of over three 
thousands of the residents of the county and a 
resolution of the board of supervisors, endors- 
ing its application. The newspapers of the 
countv al.so heartilv supported the ])lan. More 
important still, the State Postmasters' .Asso- 
ciation of Michigan in 1901 \-ery kindly en- 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



559 



dorsed his application and in kjoj re])eatecl 
the endorsement. C"ong^ressnian Joseph W. 
Fordnev. of Sasjinaw. was our friend at court 
in this matter and finally landed the cnunty de- 
livery system for us. .Meantime a long- delay 
ensued owing tn the inuuense demands made 
upon the rural delivery department, but after 
unceasing effnrts l)\' many for years, the sys- 
tem was finally established in Clinton C(xuity 
on March i6. u^o^. On the same date Ing- 
ham county, ^lichigan, was fitted out with tlic 
same system. On that day thirty-nine rural 
carriers began delix'ering mail to over four 
thousand families or about eighteen thousand 
people in the farming conununities of Clinton 
countv. Besides these, nine carriers from ad- 
joining comities deliver mail to about four hun- 
dred and fift\' families or almut two thousand 
people in Clinton countv, besides sujiplying a 
larg-e number of families in their own counties. 
The thirt\-nine carriers in Clinton county trav- 
el over one thousand miles a day in deli\ering 
and collecting mail. Of this service the St. 
Johns ])ost-office sup])lies fifteen R. !■'. H. 
routes directly and four indirectlw .Vine car- 
riers start directly from the St. Johns iM>st- 
office. three from a station on the electric road 
connecting St. Jolins with Lansing, and three 
from Wagon ".\." These fifteen routes serve 
a population of aliout seven thousand five hun- 
dred. Wag-on ".\" is a traveling post-ofiice 
on wheels, called W^ag^on ".\" Rural Delivery 
Station. Tt has a driver who furnishes the 
teams, etc., and drives the wagon at a compen- 
sation of $1,200 |)er year, and a carrier, John 
C. Hugiis, who has charge of the waggon, de- 
livers mail from it like any other carrier along 
its route and jierforms tlie duties of a post- 
master in his territory. He writes money or- 
ders, on his own Wagon ".\" blanks, registers 
letters, take cliarge of the carriers who start 
from \\'a,gon ".\," furnishes them with tlie 
sup])lies of stamped i)aper, etc. Wagon ".\" is 
a handsome, well-constructed vehicle, weighing 
about one thousand pounds. The running gear 
is yellow and the body blue, trimmed in white. 
In winter the wagon is supplied with ninners 
■which are easilv fitted under the wlieels witiiout 



remo\ing them. In five minutes' time the 
wagon can be changed to a sleigh and ])njceed 
as if nothing had happened. The driver sits 
high up in front and in stt^my weather is pro- 
tected from the storm by a weather-])roof hood 
which effectually shuts out the snow and rain. 
The carrier stands or sits inside, e.xcept when 
initting mail in the farmers' l)0.\es or delivering 
mail to the carriers or to the jxist-offices on his 
route or collecting mail from them. He has 
two post-offices on his route: Maple Rai)ids, 
a town of alxiut seven hundred ])eople, and 
lun-eka, a town of al)Out three hundred po|Hi- 
lation. Carriers Nos. u, 13 and 14 start from 
Wagon ".\." Xuinber 14 takes a locked ]X)Uch 
from Wagon ".\'" and carries it to Eureka, 
where he delivers it about t ]>. m. Wagon "A" 
reaches Eureka about 2 130 ]i. m. and collects 
mail from there, which allows business men to 
o])eii their mail and answer it the same day. 
Wagon ".\"' carriers a locked |)ouch to Ma])le 
Ra])ids at i i 130 a. m.. and st<)])s an hour f<ir 
dinner at that ])lace. which gives the business 
men there an opportunity to answer their mail 
at once. Maple Rapids also has a stage route 
leaving there for St. Johns in the morning and 
returning in the evening, which gives them 
two daily mails. It was intended to have the 
])ostmasters of these two villages act as carriers 
and deliver the mail in these two places, but 
some mistaken protests from these towns pre- 
\ented this. Such an arrangement wouhl have 
been a great improvement to the service in 
these two places and many residents already 
regret that it was done. 

Last vear the five rural carriers at the St. 
Johns office brought in eleven hundred money 
order applications. This shows more rural 
delivery money orders issued at the St. Johns 
office than at any other city or village in the 
United States, with the exception of Westmin- 
ster, Maryland, where, I think, there are 
twentv-three rural carriers. In that city they 
issued about eighteen hundred niral delivery 
money orders. Since the inauguration of 
countv delivery in Clinton county, the fifteen 
carriers from St. Johns have been bringing in 
money orders at the rate of over three thou- 



56o 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



sand a year, and this will doubtless show dur- 
ing the next fiscal year that St. Johns has writ- 
ten far more rural delivery money orders than 
any other city or village in the United States. 

The other villages in Clinton county have 
rural routes as follows : Ovid, three ; Shepards- 
ville, one; Elsie, four; Maple Rapids, one; 
Fowler, six; Eagle, three; DeWitt, three, and 
Bath, four. The postmasters at these villages 
are competent up-to-date postmasters. I know 
them all personally and they give general satis- 
faction. I also know every rural carrier in the 
county and they too help to make the Clinton 
county mail service equal to the best. 

The St. Johns post-office receives its prin- 
cipal mail, including the Detroit morning pa- 
pers, at 7 :25 a. m. daily. This enables that 
office to supply about half the county with 
morning Detroit and Grand Rapids papers the 
same day they are printed. The R. F. D. car- 
riers who start direct from the St. Johns office 
leave at 8 a. m. and return about 2 p. m. 
Wagon "A" leaves at 8 a. m. and returns about 
4:30 p. ni., making a distance of eighty-four 
miles daily. The three carriers who start from 
Wagon "A" receive their mail at 9 a. m. and 
start on their trips at about 10 a. m., returning 
to the wagon at 3:15 p. m. The three carriers 
who start from Merle Beach Crossing on the 
electric road, receive their mail at about g a. 
m. and start on their trips at about 10 a. m., 
returning to the railroad at al)out 4 130 p. m. 
One of these carriers is a woman. She asks 
no favors, attends strictly to luisiness and 
makes a good carrier. 

In the last four years the receipts of the St. 
Johns office have increased from $8,000 to 
$12,000 per year. The floor space in the office 
has been increaseil from twelve hundred tn 
twenty-seven hundred feet, and the office has 
been well equipped with the necessary furni- 
ture for the work. The office is giving first- 
class service. This is principally due to the 
efficient force and four first-class citv carriers. 

Rural free delivery is the greatest boon to 
the farmers since the homestead law. Rural 
communities never received any special l^enefit 
from the postal service until now. While the 



resident of the village got his mail several times 
a day by going a short distance, and the resi- 
dent of the city got his from two to eight times 
a day, delivered almost into his hands, the resi- 
dent of the country got his mail from one to 
three times a week by traveling from two to 
ten miles after it. In the inception of rural de- 
livery, some people in the villages and cities 
seemed to think that the farmer was placed in 
their locality expressly to trade at the village 
store and that he ought to be compelled to 
come to town as often as possible so that he 
would trade more. Anything that increases 
the farmer's mail facilities, they seemed to 
think, would lessen the amount of goods he 
purchased at the village store. The ingenious- 
ness with which this arginnent was urged was 
the only thing that redeemed its extreme self- 
ishness, e\en if it were tnie, but it is not true. 
The farmer does not eat any less or wear any 
less because his mail is brought to him every 
dav. Besides, the time which he formerly 
wasted in going after his mail be now devotes 
to raising more and better crops which bring 
him more money to spend at the village store. 
Rural delivery has come to stay, and woe be 
to him who stands in its way. In five years 
mail will be delivered at the doors of twenty 
millions of people in the mral communities of 
the United States, and the post-office depart- 
ment will be on a paying basis." 

The last census gives the city of St. Johns 
a population of three thousand seven hundred 
and sixty-eight, which unfortunateh- has ma- 
terially decreased during the past few months, 
because of tlie removal of the St. Johns Talile 
Company's plant. During the past ten years 
the gain in pojiulation in the county is approxi- 
mately seventy-two, the princijjal gain being at 
the city of St. Johns. 

The following tables of comparisons is sub- 
mitted as indicating the sectional ]irogress in 
the matter of poptilation in the county from 
TQOO to the last census comjiiled b\- the State 
of Michigan. It will be noted from this table 
that the to\vnshi]is of Lebanon and Riley are 
the onlv two of the county which show a gain 
for that period : 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



561 



CITY AND VII.I.AGES. 

St. Johns 3768 gnin 3S0 

Ovid 1232 loss 61 

Elsie 644 gain 68 

Maple Rapids 604 gain 25 

Fowler 431 gain 5 

Westphalia 371 loss 3 

Eagle 131 loss 9 

TOWNSHIPS. 

Bath 1007 loss 58 

Bengal looi loss 44 

Bingham 1055 loss 9 

Dallas (including Fowler) 1640 loss 7 

DeW'itt 1225 loss 5 

Duplain (including Elsie) 1954 gain 123 

Eagle (including Eagle) 1158 no ch'nge 

Essex (including Maple R'p'ds) . 1473 loss 9 

Greenbush 1341 loss 59 

Lebanon (including part of Hub- 

bardston) 1041 gain 23 

Olive 1079 loss 43 

Ovid (including Ovid) 2549 loss 6 

Riley 1 164 gain 9 

Victor 938 loss 61 

Watertown 1272 loss 62 

Westphalia (including Westpha- 
lia village) 1 543 l"ss 1 4 

25,208 gain 72 
Of the business, commercial and financial in- 
stitutions located at St. Johns, the banks have 
already Ijeen referred to. In this connection 
it may be stated that the St. Johns National 
Rank recently purchased for banking' purposes 
the Plumstead building and lot. located at the 
northeast corner of Clinton avenue and Walker 
street, east, and the erection of a modern kink- 
ing and office building at this excellent loca- 
tion is being considered. 

The county of Clinton is especially favored 
in the matter of the Independent Telephone 
Company, now called the Union Telephone 
Company, whose central offices in Clinton 
county are at St. Johns. The L^nion Company 
now comprises several counties in central Mich- 
igan and has well appointed connection with 
all ]K>rtions of the country. This company 
originated from a very minor circumstance. 



Several years ago the Crawley Telephone Com- 
pany operated a few lines from the village of 
Middleton through St. Johns. At this time 
John T. Millman and John H. Fildew imested 
some capital in the enteqirise aufl the National 
Telephone Company was organized. St. Johns 
capital became largely interested in this pro- 
ject, and the number of exchanges was in- 
creased and the lines extended. The Union 
Telci)hone Crmipany of Ciratiot county was an 
indci)eiident. and about six years ago the Union 
and the National Companies were merged un- 
der the coqwrate name of the L'nion Telephone 
Company. 

This company is cajiitalized at five hundred 
thousand dollars with all of its stock sold. The 
central ot"tices are now located at .\lnia in Gra- 
tiot county. Tt has appro.ximately seventy- 
five exchanges. John H. Fildew, of St. Johns, 
is the secretary of the company. Tod Kincaid 
is president; G. S. Ward, treasurer, and W. 
J. Mclchers. general manager. Charles Bab- 
cock and John T. Millman, of the city of St. 
Johns, are two members of the board of direc- 
tors. The concern is on a firm financial foot- 
ing and has paid twenty-six <|uarterly divi- 
ilends of two per cent. 

The manufacturing establishment owned and 
operated by the F. C. Ma.son Company, a cor- 
poration, at the city of St. Johns, in Clinton 
county, is among the leading industries of its 
kind in the state. This company manufactures 
a variety of implement repairs, comprising ap- 
proximately one thousand different varieties of 
cultivator jjoints. They also manufacture *he 
Banner Hand Cultivator. In general, the busi- 
ness of this company consists of manufactur- 
ing implement supplies of every kind and. in a 
sen.se. jobbing in an immense variety of imple- 
ment sup])lies. Their salesman cover Michi- 
gan, Ohio, Indiana. Wisconsin. New York, 
Texas and Oklahoma, and their field of opern- 
tions is constantly increasing. 

The business was instituted upwards of 
seven vears ago b\- F. C. Mason. About two 
vears ago a joint stock com]iany was incor- 
porated and a brick factory building added to 
the ])lant and the equipment and facilities im- 



362 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



■|)rove(l and tlie manufacturing" capacity in- 
creased. The re-organized concern Ijegan op- 
erations July 20, 1902, with officers as follows : 
Charles P>. Giffels. ])resident ; John T. Millman. 
secretary, and I*". C. Ma.s<Mi. treasurer. 

The concern employs on an average, twenty- 
five men. The largest item of their manufac- 
tured products is cu1ti\-ator points, or cultivator 
steels, as thev are ci>nnnonlv called, of which 
over one thousand \-arieties are made by this 
company. Another important line manufac- 
tured by this plant is harrow-shoes. Of this 
line of implement supplies, this company has 
the field exclusively. Thev also manufacture 
a pressed steel stake iron which is a noveltx' 
with this concern, nothing of the kind having 
ever been manufactured. Another specialty is 
"No. 30" hayfork pulley. This article is a 
favorite locally, a large proportion of the- local 
traae being supplied by this factor^'. Amor.g 
other sundry articles named in the catalogue 
in which this concern advertises its products 
are, planters, grinders, seed-sowers, hay-rake 
teeth, weeders, tedders, sprocket chains and 
attachments, wire springs of all varieties, 
spring keys, mower anfl binder repairs, sec- 
tions, knives, oilers, and the "M brand" cold 
chisel. In IQ03. the Banner Hand Cultivator 
was put u])on the market, and the trade in this 
implement is constantly increasing. F. C. 
Mason is in acti\-e management of and super- 
intends the Imsiness and is a mechanical ex- 
pert. The stock in this concern is now owned 
largely by local capitalists, whi> anxiously 
watch the progress of the business. 

The Clinton Butter Companv has been in 
existence for ujjwards of three years. The 
concern has as ])resent nearl\- two hundred ])at- 
rons. Ten teams are employed continuallw 
hauling milk from various localities in the 
county to the factory at St. Johns. For the 
first two years the business jiaid a dividend of 
six i)er cent on the original investment, besides 
increasing the capital stock of the firm one 
thousand dollars. The third year with six hun- 
dred dollars capital stock added, it ]iaid a divi- 
dend of six per cent. The factory is well 
c(|uipped with modern separators of high ca- 



pacit\-, and produces upwards of one thousand 
jxHUids of butter per month. 

.\nother prominent industrv- is the manufac- 
turing and machine shop bvtsiness of Richmond 
& Holmes. Lixiis B. Richmond and H. S. 
Holmes coni])rise the firm, the business being 
estalilished in 1S89. This concern does a large 
business as general machinists, including re- 
jjairing and machine construction. They also 
handle engine trimmings, mill and threshers' 
sup]5lies. Heretofore the principal product of 
their manufacture has been gasoline engines. 
The Ideal gas and gasoline engines, which have 
been manufactured at their plant, are the only 
product of the kind manufactured in Clinton 
county. The Ideal engine possesses many origi- 
nal features of construction, and is recognized 
as one of the best and most simple and durable 
engines of its class manufactured. The engine 
is built on the four-cycle plan, is controlled by 
an automatic governor, which acts directly on 
the exhaust valve: the mediod of control being 
thus most economical. The s]5eed of this en- 
gine ma\' be changed while it is in motion: 
the gasoline is automatically pumped to the 
engine from a steel tank, all the fuel returning 
to the tank when the engine stops, thus con- 
forming to the insurance rules and making ini- 
]")ossible leakage and explosions. 

.\nother ]>roduct originated by the Rich- 
mond & Holmes Company is the Ideal Air- 
cooled .\ut<Tmatic ^lotor. which has proved a 
very successful machine. In connection with 
their manufacture of engines, the firm also 
manufac-tures house heaters. The\- carr\- in 
stock a full line of mill and threshers' supplies, 
including rubl)er hose, belting, brass goods: 
and they also have on hand a])pliances for au- 
tomobiles, and a line of electrical supplies. 
L'nfortunately for St. Johns, and probably l)e- 
cause of lack of diligence on the jiart of St. 
Johns capitalists. Lansing automobile compa- 
nies have become interested in the gasoline en- 
gine manufactured by this St. Johns concern. 

.\nother industrv located at St. Johns is the 
.\. T. .'^niith Bugg}- and Wagon factory, which 
is managed b^• .\lonzo T. .Snn'th. an expert 
blacksmith, borseshoer, mechanic and manu- 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



563 



factiircr. Mr, Sinitli niaiuifacturts wajjuns 
and l)Ufjgies and also does a large general 
Ijlacksniithing and horsesliocing business. It 
is pmiiahk' that in a sliurt time, St. Johns ca])i- 
talists will hcciinio interested in this enterprise, 
and ui\e it ])r(ii)cr support, .\dded capital 
would, without cjucslion. give to St. Johns a 
large and prosperous wagon and Iniggy manu- 
facturing establishment. 

The ."-^t. Johns Canning factor\- is now in 
hands of II. 11. Knceland. It is one of the few 
industries wich have been established in St. 
Johns recently. The factoiy was built in 1902 
by the St. Johns Canning I-'actory Comjiany, 
which was organized, stock being taken bv lo- 
cal parties. For some reason the comi)any did 
not pros])er. and in 1904 Mr. Horace B. 
Kneeland became the owner of the plant. The 
factory is oneOf the best of its kind in the 
state, its equipment being com])lete and its ca- 
])acity being of high order. The plant occu- 
])ies two buildings on the north side of the De- 
troit, (irand Haven & .Milwaukee Railway. 
The power is sujiplied by a thirty-five horse 
power engine connected with a seventy horse- 
power boiler. The capacity of the plant is 
twelve thousand cans daily. The bulk of the 
output is canned corn, tomatoes, beans and ap- 
ples. The factory, when in operation. emi)loys 
thirty hands. The factory product is recognized 
as of a high standard and finds ready sale in the 
markets of Chicago and (Irand Rapids. Mr. 
Kneeland is the owner of a large farm on sec- 
tion i)ne in Bengal township. He is a native 
of Clinton county and is a son of the late Ben- 
jamin F. Kneeland. He was one of the orig- 
inal promoters of the St. Johns Canning Com- 
pany. This concern secures its raw material 
under contracts made with the farmers in Clin- 
ton county, and the progress and growth of 
this industry is simply a question of the ability 
of its manufactures to seaire sufficient quanti- 
ties of products prepared by them for the mar- 
kets. 

In comparison with those of larger cities, 
the industries of St. Johns are on a compara- 
tively small scale. Xevcrtheless. the product 
of these industries has always been maintained 
at a high standard. 



The largest retail dealers in m.ubli: and 
granite in the county are Murdock & Ruth. 
The building occujjied by this firm is on the 
site of the primitive school house wdiich has 
been mentioned. The head of the firm built a 
brick building at this site some years ago, and 
modern machinery has been installed therein 
and first-class workmen employed. The firm 
emi)loys from si.\ to fifteen skilled workmen, 
and is re]3resented thrf)ughout the territorv cov- 
ered by the business b\- traveling salesman. 
Occasionallly a monument order is shipped to 
other states. The amount of yearly business is 
approximately twenty thousand dollars. Mr. 
Murdock has been engaged in this business for 
upwards of nineteen years. He is a native of 
Washtenaw county. In 1880 he established 
marble and granite works at St. Louis, Michi- 
gan, removing to St. Johns five years later. 
Robert Ruth has but recently Ijecome a mem- 
ber of the firm. He is a practical workmen and 
superintends the outside work of the firm. 

.\nother growing industry along the same 
line is that operated by the firm of Walter & 
Hodge, who are manufacturers and dealers in 
cemetery stone work, cement walks and like 
lines. The firm is composed of O. B. Walter 
and W. W. Hodge, and has been engaged in 
the business nearly six years. The first mem- 
ber of the firm came to St. Johns from Flint, 
Michigan. The firm of Walter & Hodge has 
grown to l)e a substantial and reliable concern 
and their shops ]nit upon the market an excel- 
lent grade of granite and marble monuments. 

The city of St. Johns and the community 
are peculiarly fortunate in being able to patron- 
ize a tlKiroughly equipped steam laundry. Tlie 
St. Johns Steam Laundry is one of the Iwst in 
the state and is at present owned and operated 
by William Woodbur}-. This laundrv has 
agencies at different points, such as Maple 
Rapids, Eureka and Fowler, and enjoys a sub- 
stantial patronage. 

.As has been stated herein. John H. Corbit 
was probably the pioneer hardware merchant 
of St. Johns, his business being esta!)lished in 
1856. Mr. Corbit is still engaged in the hard- 
ware business, making a specialty of stoves of 
which he carries a large stock. 



564 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



Another of the prominent hardware firms 
is that of Fowler & Ball, who occupy the three 
story brick block at the southeast corner of the 
Walker street and Clinton Avenue crossing. 
This firm has a large amount of capital invested 
in a complete stock of hardware and builders' 
supplies and house furnishings. Another of 
the leading mercantile firms engaged in the 
hardware business is Spaulding & Co., a corpo- 
ration, of which Frank M. Spaulding (son of 
the Hon. 01i\er L. Spaulding) is manager. Mr. 
Spaulding is also connected with the Building 
& Loan Association, and with the Clinton But- 
ter Company, and has always been prominently 
identified with St. Johns business institutions. 

The Farmers' Mutual Fire Insurance Com- 
pany of Clinton and Gratiot counties should 
also be mentioned in connection with the affairs 
of the city of St. Johns. This company was 
organized in 1863, and at that time was a ver>' 
insignificant affair, compared with its size at 
the present time. It is one of the largest com- 
jjanies of its kind in the state and is upon a 
firm financial basis. At the present time the 
president nf this companx' is Dorr K. Stowell, 
the Bengal township pioneer; George N. Ferry, 
vice-president : Charles P. Giffels is secretary 
and treasurer and has active management of 
the aft'airs of the company. The comijany is 
a mutual one and its membership exceeds six 
thousand and it has approximately nine mill'o:: 
dollars' worth of property insured. 

St. Johns being ])re-eniinently an agricul- 
tural community, special mention should be 
given to the firms engaged in buying and ship- 
ping grain and produce. Among the grain 
merchants and shippers who make a specialty 
of carload lots of produce, the firm of Mc- 
Knight & Parr is among the first. L. G. ]\Ic- 
Knight and John Parr comprise the firm, 
which, previous to its re-organization was des- 
ignated as L. G. McKnight & Co. The busi- 
ness has been established for upwards of nine 
years. The senior member of the firm, L. G. 
McKnight, came to Clinton county in 1849. 
This firm operates an elevator and does a large 
business in handling coal at retail and carries 
a stock of builders' supplies. This firm has 



enjoyed a remarkable increase in its coal and 
fuel business during the past two years, and is 
counted among the most substantial concerns 
of its class in Clinton county. 

The elevator business of Charles S. Sprague 
was established ten years ago. The Sprague 
elevator has a large capacity and its proprietor 
has engaged as a general dealer in hay, grain, 
beans, wheat, oats, potatoes, apples, straw and 
w(xil. In connection with the elevator, Mr. 
Sprague operates a bean-picking establishment 
which employs during the season as many as 
forty persons. 

The Hicks grain and coal business was estab- 
lished by the late John Hicks in connection with 
his store in 1849. The elevator was built by 
him in 1856. The elevator handles a large 
amount of grain of all kinds, which is shipped 
in carload lots. In connection with the prod- 
uce business, John C. Hicks handles a large 
quantity of coal, he being sole agent for several 
superior varieties of that article. 

For several years ^Ir. James S. Osgood, who 
recently retired from active business, conducted 
an extensive produce-buying and retail coal and 
fuel business at the city of St. Johns. Grain 
of all kinds, ha\-. beans and other products 
were handled by him in carload lots. He dis- 
posed of his hay warehouse and later his ele- 
vator and coal business was sold to the firm of 
Stone & Bergin, who now operate the same. 
This firm is progressive in its methods, and 
upon a firm financial basis, and is a prominent 
factor in the produce and coal business of Clin- 
ton county. 

The city of St. Johns has two flouring mills. 
The mill operated by Henderson Brothers is 
located on the west limit of the city of St. 
Johns, and Wood's mill has already been men- 
tioned as being upon the site of the flouring 
mill originally erected by R. M. Steel in 1856; 
]\Ir. George Wood having rebuilt the same in 
1864. For years this business was owned and 
operated by the firm of Wood Brothers, 
George Wood being now survivor. This mill 
is patronized extensively by the local trade and 
ships large f|uantities of its products to other 
points. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



56s 



Con Stephan's Cigar Factory, which occu- 
pies quarters in the Kenyon Blocl<, has grown 
to l)e a St. Jolms' industry of considerable im- 
portance. Prior to engaging in business at St. 
Johns in September, 1903, he had been a cigar 
manufacturer at Owosso, Michigan. 

I'ulfrey & Pouch, a contracting and l>rici< 
and cement manufacturing concern, operate 
a ijusiness inii)ortant to St. Jolms. They 
have an unusually large pay-roll. The 
partnership was formed in 1S93 be- 
tween C". 1". Pulfrey and Ananias Pouch. The 
firm inunediately engaged in general contract- 
ing, building and artificial stone and cement 
work. For upwards of fi\e years they have 
operated a brick yard and manufactory, the av- 
erage output amounting to approximately one 
million bricks aniuially. of various grades. 
Among its other enterprises, this firm recently 
engaged in the manufacture of a patent cement 
outer case for burial caskets, reinforced by a 
frame work of steel rods, making a case that 
is both air and water tight. Pulfrey and Pouch 
have also built a large proportion of the cement 
sidewalks which have been laid in St. Johns 
during the past few years of sidewalk reform. 
The pay-roll mentioned amounts to upwards 
of $15,000.00 annually. Mr. Pouch has fig- 
ured prominently in public afifairs in St. John?, 
having served as \illage trustee, village ])resi- 
dent and Mayor of St. Johns. It was during 
his administration that the pavement on Clin- 
ton .\venue was laid. 

The wholesale grocery house of Olney 1'. 
DeW'itt is an imjTortant St. Johns enterprise 
and of unusual ])roportions, considering the 
size of the city. The proprietor of this busi- 
ness possesses the sterling qualities of honesty 
and industry and has always ranked as a most 
public-spirited memlier of the business commu- 
nity. He came to this vicinity from New 
York state in 1864. In 188 1 he engaged in a 
retail grocerv business. He began an exclus- 
ively wholesale business about two years ago, 
but for some time had conducted the two de- 
partments of a wholesale and retail grocer}- 
liusiness. During the past three years his gen- 
eral trade has increased fully seventy-five per 



cent, a growth far in excess of his anticipa- 
tions, and this year the indications are that the 
volume of business that will be done will be 
double what was originally calatlated upon. 
Traveling men are kept constantly on the road, 
and the business of the house covers a field 
which includes all of Clinton county and large 
portions of the adjacent counties. The line 
handled by Mr. DeWitt is similar to that of 
any of the wholesale grocery houses of the 
large cities, including an especially large line 
of cigars, tobacco and all grocery sundries. 

It would be impossible to enumerate the 
changes in the retail business of St. Johns 
within the limits of a work of this kind, and an 
enumeration of the retail stores in all that is 
necessar\-. The firm of Travis & Baker, who 
own the "Corner Drug Store" is composed of 
F. A. Travis and Charles P. Baker. This firm 
also does a considerable business in the whole- 
sale line with stores in central Michigan. The 
]>resent partnership was formed in 1891. F. A. 
Travis is also connected with various enter- 
prises in St. Johns and is one of the liberal and 
progressive spirits of the business community. 
.\. O. Hunt's drug store has been referred to 
elsewhere. Fildew & Millman are among the 
pioneer business houses of the city. A. S. Fil- 
dew, the senior member of that firm, is a na- 
tive of Devon.shire. England. He was en- 
gaged in the contracting and building business 
at St. Johns for a number of years prior to the 
time when he become associated with W. H. 
Wilson in the drug business. Later W. H. 
^\■ilson was succeeded by John H. Fildew, 
now of the Union Telephone Comjianv, who in 
tum was followed by John T. Millman. Mr. 
Millman hails from Guelph, Canada. The store 
of this firm is located in the O. W. Munger 
Block. C. E. Van Sickle is another St. Johns 
dniggist, his store being located in the Gibbs 
Block on Clinton Avenue. 

Of the retail grocer}- houses of St. Johns, 
The Calkins Grocery Company, Ltd., which 
i")ccupied the whole floor of the Kenyon Block, 
has recently closed out its enormous stock. L. 
J. Calkins, the principal proprietor, is a man 
of means and business sagacity. Among other 



566 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY, 



interests he owns a tine farm of two luuulred 
forty acres in Bengal township. F. A. Percey 
has been in the grocery Intsiness for upwards 
of fourteen years. He started in St. Johns as 
a clerk for Asher Teachout, the pioneer mer- 
chant. In later years H. L. Kendrick became 
interested in the business and a partnership was 
formed between Mr. Kendrick and Mr. Percey, 
which continued until 1890 when Percey be- 
came sole ])roprietor of the business. The Base- 
ment (h-ocery. situated in the Plumstead 
Building, is now in charge of Smedley and (iil- 
lies; Jones & LeBaron enjoy a large trade at 
their store in Vauconsant Block. Warner 
Bundav has been named as among the surviv- 
ing pioneer grocery merchants of the city. 
The business of Chapin & Co. was recentl\- 
purchased by Chapin & Dubois. Originally 
the firm of Chapin & Co. consisted of John B. 
Chapin and Charles Chapin. The firm of Cha- 
pin & Dubois is composed of Charles Chapin 
and Neil Dubois. The firm of Chapin & Co. 
was organized in 1890. The present firm car- 
ries in stock a general line of groceries and dry- 
goods. 

John :\IcKinley. who but recently came to 
St. Johns from Caseville. Michigan, owns and 
manages one of the largest and best equipped 
stores in Clinton county. The business is car- 
ried on in the Steel Block at the quarters once 
occupied by the defunct St. Johns Mercantile 
Company. At first, Mr. McKinley was asso- 
ciated with Harr>- E. Mack, the shoe-merchant, 
under the firm name of The McKinley & Mack 
Company. This partnership was recently dis- 
solved, Mr. Mack's store remaining at its loca- 
tion in the Steel Block. The ^IcKinley store 
carries a heavy stock of groceries and dry- 
goods and is rapidly gaining in patronage. 

The grocery firm of Ward & Holton which 
occupies the corner store of the O. ^\^ Munger 
property, has been in business ten years. Be- 
sides their regular grocery line they also have 
in stock a well selected line of crockery' and 
glassware. Louis Sawady is comparatively a 
new-comer to the city. His store is located in 
the George S. Corbit building on Clinton Ave- 
nue. Jesse Bancroft is the youngest of the 
St. Johns groceryman. Prior to purchasing 



tiie stock of William Leland, Mr. Bancroft was 
in the employ of the Xorthw^estern Insurance 
Company as a solicitor, which occupation he 
took up after several years of conscientious 
service as a teacher in the St. Johns public 
schools. The firm of Parr Brothers consists 
of Lyman Parr and Henry Parr. The busi- 
ness of this firm is well established. Both 
memliers of the firm are prominent in public 
afi^airs. and are counted among the most use- 
ful citizens of St. Johns. 

The retail furniture trade of St. Johns is un- 
usually well cared for. E. I. Hull and Son are 
])roprietors of one of the largest furniture 
stores in central Michigan, their modern three- 
story brick block being located at Xo. 18 Clin- 
ton .\venue. This block was erected in 1901. 
E. I. Hull, the senior member of the firm, es- 
tablished the business in 1894. and the volume 
of its business has been constantlv on the in- 
crease. In connection is an undertaking de- 
jiartment which is splendidly equijiped. Os- 
good & Osgood are also furniture dealers and 
undertakers who have in recent years built up 
a large and prosperous business at this point. 
The firm con.sists of ^^'ill and Ed Osgood. It 
is stated that early in the present year, the lat- 
ter member will retire from the business, he 
having disposed of his share to Will H. Os- 
good, who will continue in the business. The 
latter is a prominent member of the Metiiodist 
church at St. Johns, being instrumental in or- 
ganizing the annual Clinton county Sunday- 
school excursions, when thousands of Sunday- 
school children are carried to Detroit and 
neighboring points on trips of sight-seeing and 
pleasure. 

St. Johns has three merch;mt-tailoring es- 
tablishments, of which that of George H. Judd 
is the ])ioneer. The proprietor has Ijeen in 
business for twenty-seven years and may be 
counted among the pioneers of Clinton county. 
A. S. Berry has Ijeen in business at St. Johns 
for over two years, he having prior to his re- 
moval to this place, been in business at the vil- 
lage of Ovid. Fred R. Jackson came to St. 
Johns from London, Canada, and has been a 
tailor at this place for seventeen years. 

Of carriage, harness and implement dealers. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



567 



St. Johns lias its sliare. Tlie business now in 
ciiars^e of Davies & S()\\le is among' the Ijest 
established. This firm consists of R. C. Davies 
and Charles Sowle. The former is a native 
of I'jig'land and has lixed in Clinton conntx' 
since ]^(>o. h'rank A. Ilyatt. l)uilder and 
owner of the Ilyatt block, is engat^ed in the 
carriag'e and harness business and is among the 
most substantial dealers on Clinton Avenue. 
Besides being an extensive dealer in agricul- 
tural implements, wagons, carriages and horse 
furnishings, Byron Danley is also a heavy ship- 
per of produce. lie is a native of Gratiot 
countv, and was for eight years associated with 
John Hicks in the grain business. The pres- 
ent business was established in i8q8. Mr. 
Danlev is ])rominent in public affairs and has 
served u]xin the Cumnion C_"ouncil for four 
years. 

The Spring Brook Ice Company is composed 
of Ernest B. Pardee and George H. Schoen- 
hals. Upwards of three years ago they suc- 
ceeded H. .\. Sage in the cold storage and ice 
business and now control the business in that 
line at St. Johns. This firm is ])rogressi\e and 
now owns important rights at Alward Lake 
from which in the future the cit\"s su])])K- of 
ice may be obtained. 

At present St. Johns has three jewelry mer- 
chants. C. S. Allison purchased the business 
now under the proprietorshi]) of his son R. G. 
.Allison, in 1880. Eugene Parker, who was in 
business at Durand and Detroit, established 
himself at St. Johns one year ago. William M. 
DeWitt was born in DeW'itt village in 1867. 
He attended the St. Johns public schools, and 
after mastering the jeweler's trade, lived suc- 
cessively at HamiTiond, Ind., and Chicago, 111., 
finally returning to St. Johns and establishing 
a business for himself. 

Among other business enterprises should be 
named the establishments of Wilson Brothers, 
Clark & Hulse. and Steel and Field, clothiers. 
Harry Mack. Noble Burnett, Charles Ilnlse 
and Abner Furtney and Tromp & Post, are 
St. Johns shoe merchants. Durkee & Butler's. 
Petch & Boucher's and Huntley's millinery 
stores are all that could be asked for in an up- 
36 



to-date. prosj)erous little city, (ionderman's 
general store has taken new quarters in the new 
Merrill block recently erected on Clinton .Ave- 
nue. 

It is not the province of this historv to in- 
vade the biographical department, and personal 
references have been made for the ])urpose of 
indicating the general i)rogress of the countv, 
and its present historical features. .As it stands 
to-day the city of St. Johns has a population 
of ai)i)ro.\imately 3,500 per.sons. At the pres- 
ent time there is considerable agitation toward 
the procurement of manufacturing industries 
lor this locality, 'i'he city government of St. 
Johns recently took steps toward the purchase, 
by the muiuVipality, of the buildings and ])rop- 
erty of the departed St. Johns Table Company 
for the sum of $15,000. The object held in 
\iew was certainly proper enough, but the 
ownershi]) by a municipalitv of any i)ri\ate en- 
terprise being contrary to the Constitution of 
the state, interested taxpayers intervened, bv 
means of an injunction proceeding, and at the 
])resent date strong effort is being made 
through the agency of the St. Johns Business 
Mens' .\ssociation towards the raising by pri- 
vate subscriinion a sum sufticieiU to purchase 
the i)rc)pert_\'. 

.\s has been stated before the great necessity 
for St. Johns is a north and soiuh railroad, to- 
gether with luanufacturing industries. The 
futm-e as regards the latter, is particularly 
promising at the present tiiue, and should the 
efforts being made by the community terminate 
successfidly, it is but a question of a few 
months before the city's population wHll be ap- 
proximately 5.000. If concerted action might 
be taken towards inducing the Lake Shore and 
Michigan Southern Railroad, whose tenninus 
is at Lansing, to extend its line northward 
through St. Johns, without a doubt the latter 
city would soon Income a manufacturingf cen- 
ter. 

St. Johns is partiadarly fortunate in having 
a strong agg'ressive public press. The Clinton 
Republican, C. C. Vaughan editor and proprie- 
tor, has a large circulation throughout Clinton 
and adjoining' counties. As its name indicates 



568 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



it is a i)arty organ. The home of the Clinton Re- 
pubHcan is a m(;dern l)rick building, and the 
office is equipped with every modern appliance 
and facility. The proprietor is a St. Johns 
capitalist who possesses a broad public spirit, 
and who is interested in numerous St. Johns 
enterprises. The Re])ul)lican was, previous to 
Mr. V'aughan's administration, owned and 
edited by Otis T-'uller. prominent in state aflfairs 
and now warden of the State Reformatory at 
Ionia. 

The St. Johns News is at present edited by 
Stuart H. Perry, formerly of Pontiac. Miclii- 
gan. Howard H. Fitzgerald was instnmiental 
in founding this paper, he lieing at present edi- 
tor and ])roprietor of a daily paper at Flint. 
Michigan. The Xews essays to be independ- 
ent politically, and has a circulation of approxi- 
matelv 4.000. The .Kews is especially strong 
as an advertising medium. 

The Clinton Independent was the pioneer 
newspaper of St. Johns, being owned and ed- 
ited by George S. Corbitt. who is connected 
w itli the early history of the community, as has 
been referred to. The Independent was the 
organ of the Democratic party in Clinton 
county. Its iniblication was suspended re- 
centlv because of the proprietor's desire to de- 
sist from active business during the remainder 
of his allotted time. 

,\ GENER.M, SURVEY. 

In general the county of Clinton has fallen 
ofY in population since the period marked by 
the years 1878 and 1880. when the county 
reached approximately the 29.000 mark. This 
fact taken by itself might be construed as in- 
consistent with the claim of general progress 
and prosperity, but this situation can be ex- 
plained. The fact is that gradually the real 
estate holdings by individual farmers throng- 
out the county have increased. One by one the 
smaller farms are purchased and made a part 
of other large estates. The average sized farm 
in the county at the present date is much larger 
than that of twenty years ago. Modern agri- 
cultural appliances also find a large market in 



Clinton county. Self binders, hay loaders and 
kindred agricultural machines are found upon 
every well appointed farm. The effect of these 
facts is to reduce the rural population. On the 
other hand it is probably true that Clinton 
count}- fanns taken acre for acre are more pro- 
ductive to-day than they have ever been before. 
The land is cleared of all obstructions and 
drained to a considerable extent, and the work 
of culti\'ating it is carried on with greater fa- 
cility and more profitable results. Clinton 
county farms now sup])ly many tons of sugar 
beets to the Lansing and Owosso factories. 

As to the ci\il histon- of the county a list 
of those who ha\e served in countx' offices has 
not been prepared as the biographies edited in 
connection with this narrative will disclose the 
facts in that connection. 

THE CLIXTOX COINTV MEDICAL SOCIETY. 

Dr. G. E. Corbin, one of the pioneer mem- 
bers of this association, furnished to the St. 
Johns Xews in October, 1901. data regarding 
the early history of this association. To the 
list of Clinton physicians given in this connec- 
tion the names of Dr. Hugh Smith, Dr. Alton 
Jeffries. Dr. Walter Scott. Dr. W. Hodskin 
Gale and Dr. John B. Dodge should l)e added. 
The first four of these gentlemen are recent 
acf|uisitions to the physicians at St. Johns. Dr. 
Smith succeeds to the practice of Dr. Henry 
Palmer, while Dr. Scott is a meml)er of the 
firm of Gillam &• Scott. The history of the 
Clinton County Medical Association as given 
by Dr. Corbin is substantially as follows: 

"Pursuant to the call for the jntrpose, issued 
by the writer hereof, at the office of Dr. G. E. 
Corbin in the village of St. Johns, on March 
1st. 1864, ])reliminarv work in the organization 
of a medical society in Clintun county was 
done. 

.\t the meeting were present : Dr. J. \\'. 
Sweetland. of Elsie. Dr. W. D. Scott, of 
Bridgeville. Dr. C. S. King, of Ovid, Dr. L. W. 
Fasquelle. of St. Johns, and Dr. G. E. Corbin, 
of .St. Johns. 

Three months later with three additional 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



5^ 



lihysiciaiis jircsent. \iz : Drs. Chailwick and 
Dellenbaugh, of Westphalia, and Dr. Stewart, 
of St. Jolins, the organization was completed 
witii the eight physicians above named as mem- 
bers. For several years, with occasional 
spasms of activity, the society had a precarious 
existence. 

At that early date I think it was the pioneer 
county medical society, for a large section of 
our state in this region, there l>eing no other 
medical societv in any adjoining or nearb}' 
county. 

Then a seventeen mile ride from W'cstpiialia 

for Dr. Dellenbaugh, or a fourteen mile ride 
for Dr. To])ping, from DeW'itt and return, 
made laborious trips, but they had the ambi- 
tion to be unexpectedly prompt in attendance. 

I'inalK' the original organization slumbered 
for several years, and was thoroughly re-organ- 
ized in 1S74 by the nine jihysicians whose 
names are here ap])ended, viz : (.'. C. Dellen- 
baugh. W'estiihalia : L. .\. Laurason. I'owler: 
S. AI. Post, luneka: Davis Hollister, Maple 
Rapids : Casper V. Beelie, Ovid : Edwin Doty. 
AIai)le Rapids: L. T. Wells, Ovid: L. W". I'a's- 
f|uelle, St. Johns: G. E. Corbin. St. Johns: 
since which time the society has been, for the 
most part, conimendabI\- active: the decade 
from 1S74 to 1884. marking its greatest and 
most rai)id growth. However, in 1884 the fol- 
lowing names had been regularly enrolled, 
though the actual niemliership had been re- 
duced by several deaths at that early date. 

C. C. Dellenbaugh, Westphalia: L. .\. Laur- 
ason. Fowler: S. M. Post, Eureka: Davis Hol- 
lister, Maple Rapids: Casper V. Reebe. Ovid: 
Edwin Doty. Maple Rapids: E. T. Wells. 
Ovid: C. E. Corbin, St. Johns: L. \V. Fas- 
<|uelle, St. Johns: C. W. To])ping, DeWitt : 
S. C. King. Ovid: L. O. Eudium, Shepards 
ville: S. E. Cillam, Elsie: D. C. Stewart, St. 
Tf^hns: ]•". A'. Chase, Elsie: Samuel H. Well- 
ings, Bridgeville: Simon Herres. Westphalia; 
Andrew J. Wiggins. St. Johns: H. Hart. Eu- 
reka: O. P.. Campbell, Ovid: N. B. Weeper. 
St. Johns: J. T. .-Kbbott. Ovid: W. R. Yuill, 
Ovid: H. \. Afanzer. Wacousta : J. H. Travis. 
Elsie: A. S. Hvatt. Wacousta: T- H. Merrill. 



Ovid; C. W. I'engra, Ovid; Jabez Perkins, 
Owosso ; C. McCormick, Owosso ; L. \V. 
Goodrich, Corunna; S. Chapin, Corunna; E. B, 
Ward, Laingsburg; D. W. C. \\'ade, Holley; 
C. P. Parkin, Owosso; 1). C. Holley, \'ernon ; 
A. M. Hume, Bennington: M. W'eller, Fowler; 
1. r. Hollister. Laingsburg: W. .\. Reed, Ma- 
ple Rapids. The abo\e names are given ex- 
actly in the order in which they signed the con- 
stitution of the society — the first in July, 1874. 
and the last in January, 1884. 

Now for good and sufficient reasons, the 
membershii) of the Clinton County Medical 
Society is restricted to graduates of reputable 
medical colleges. In its early existence, all phy- 
sicians honorably engaged in a reputable tued- 
ical practice, whether graduates of any medi- 
cal school or not, were accepted as members. 
The liest interests of patients to the e.xtent of 
life or death even, demanded that the attending 
physicians should meet in candid and harmo- 
nious con.sultations. 

This necessity removed the barriers to con- 
genial social intercourse in the county society. 

More than that, members were so few that 
meml)ers were solicited and received from ad- 
joining counties, as the above given plainly 
shows. 

I'Vom Dr. 1. T. Hollister I learned that for 
several years after his advent into Clinton 
county, in the township of Victor, in the year 
1846. the only other physicians in the county 
were Drs. Marvin and Stowell. of DeW'itt, and 
Dr. W'atson. of Duplain. 

The first "annual l)an(|uet," a feast of delic- 
ious viands and the sjiarkling conversation of 
fair women, was held at the Walker Street 
House on July 8th, 1880, by the invitation and 
at the in(li\idual expense of four resident mem- 
bers, and was pronoimced a "grand success." 

The second "animal banquet" was at the in- 
\itation and individual expense of Dr. G. W^ 
Topping, and was held at his spacious resi- 
dence in the village of DeWitt, on July 14th. 
1 88 1. The day was fine and the occasion one 
of great joy. Tt took ten years to develop the 
next — the third "annual banquet." which was 
held at the Steel on May 7th, 1891, whereas 



0/^ 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



it only reciuired nine years to develop the fourth 
"annual banquet" which was held at the Steel 
on October 4th, 1900. The fifth "annual ban- 
quet" is advertised to occur on schedule time 
at the Steel on Octolser 3d, 1901. 

The ol)ituary list of the members once active 
in this society is now large. Those known to 
be dead are L. A. Laurason, Fowler; S. C. 
King, Ovid; C. V. Beebe, Ovid: L. T. Wells. 
Ovid: C. W. Fengra, Ovid: N. B. Weeper. St. 
Johns: .\. J. Wiggins, St. Johns: L. W. Fas- 
(|uclle, St. Johns: G. W. Topping. DeWitt; 
Simon Herres. Westphalia: E. B. Warfl. 
Laingsburg: I. T. Hollister, Laingsburg: J. W. 
Sweetland. Elsie: L. W. Goodrich, Corunna. 

'Tis not likely that the above is a complete 
list of the deceased meml)ers. A number have 
removed to ]:)arts unknown to the writer hereof. 
With the exception of the above obituary list, 
all names, dates and other facts given in the 
aljo\e history are taken from actual records 
now in my possession, as I acted as the secre- 
tary of the organization for more than half of 
the vears of its existence. It would be well for 
the present secretary of the Clinton County 
Medical Society to preserve this history in the 
archives of the society. 

The following is a list of the present mem- 
bers of the society, some of whom were born 
since the society was organized : 

S. E. Gillam. St. Johns: F. V. Dunn. St. 
Johns: H. D. Squair, St. Johns: M. Weller. 
St. Johns: S. M. Post. St. Johns; H. Palmer. 
St. Johns; J. ^^ Dooling. St. Johns; C. E. 
Knapp. St. Johns : G. E. Corbin, St. Johns ; 
T. W. Pollard. St. Johns: O. B. Campbell. 
Ovid: J. T. Abbott. Ovid; A. O. Hart. Maple 
Rapids: R. D. Sleight, Maple Rapids; S. J. 
Wilson. Wacousta: J. F. Hinkson, Wacousta; 
F. H. Ellis. DeWitt: E. Hart, Eureka: J. H. 
Travis. Elsie; J. McGillicuddy, Shepardsville : 
E. Schemer, Fowler; H. H. Bryant, Duplain; 
R. C. Buck, Mayville: J. Schoenith, Westpha- 
lia. All of which is most respectfully submit- 
ted." 

THE CLINTON COUNTY B.\R. 

Reference to the pioneer history of the 



county and to the biographical department of 
this history cannot fail to impress the idea of 
the prominence of the members of the Clinton 
county bar in county affairs. Although for un- 
fortunate reasons the Clinton county bar is not 
organized into a bar association, it is neverthe- 
less true that Clinton county has one of the 
strongest bars in the state of Michigan. Busi- 
ness activity, the presence of considerable capi- 
tal and the large population have for many 
years supplied a large business to the courts of 
the county. There has been considerable liti- 
gation growing out of the R. ^I. Steel failures, 
and consequently Clinton county lawyers are 
exceptionally well prepared in corporation law. 
At the present time the law business in Clinton 
county seems to be on the increase. The cal- 
endar of the December term of 1905 shows 
seventy-two cases docketed and ready for trial. 
The meiuliers of the Clinton county bar at 
the ])resent time are as follows: 

MEMBERS OF THE B.\R. 

A. J. Baldwin. St. Johns; J. Earle Brown, 
St. Johns: S. B. Daboll. St. Johns; Fred R. 
Everett, Ovid; Paul Jamison, St. Johns; Edwin 
H. Lyon. St. Johns; Charles M. Merrill. St. 
Johns; Edward J. Moinet. St. Johns: G. F. 
Ottmar. Riley: John G. Patterson. Fowler: 
Olix'er L. Spaulding, St. Johns; Lewis Sever- 
ance, St. Johns ; Byron \\ Soule. Ovid : H. E. 
Walbridge. St. Johns; Joe M. Hoxie. St. 
Johns; Will H. Brunson. St. Johns; William 
H. Castle, St. Johns ; John C. Dooling, St. 
Johns; J. C. Flynn, St. Johns; Dean W. Kelley, 
St. Johns : Willard C. Lyon. St. Johns ; George 
H. Marshall. St. Johns; William A. Norton, 
St. Johns ; Henr\- J. Patterson. St. Johns ; Stu- 
art H. Perry. St. Johns; William M. Smith, 
St. Johns ; Almond G. Shepard, Ovid ; Charles 
Snelling. Elsie : E. L. Walbridge. St. Johns. 

L.\W FIRMS. 

Baldwin & Walsworth. St. Johns ; Lyon & 
Afoinet, St. Johns: Norton & Jamison. .St. 
Johns: Dooling & Kelley, St. Johns. 

Politicallv, Clinton county is in the Repub- 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



571 



lic.ni column, altln iu.i;li the line is so evenly di- 
\i(lcil i>et\\een the twn fjreat ])arties tiial tlie 
results of an election are by no means assin-e<l. 
es])cciallv wlieii a local issue is at stake. .\t 
the ])resent time the county of Clinton lias a 
representative at the cajjitol at Lansing-. Wil- 
liam H. Rose, of Bath township, being elected 
Commissioner of the State i.and Office at the 
last state election. Mr. Rose served as su])er- 
\isi)r of the township of Rath wiien lie was 
twent\-eight years of age. In 18S1 he was 
elected to the state Legislature and in 1883 
was re-elected. In 1891 he served as count \' 
treasurer. He is larg-ely interested in real es- 



tate and is a practical farmer, owning and man- 
aging- a farm of five Inmdred fifteen acres in 
Rath townslii]). 

The following table (being report of the 
County Board of Supervisors as to equaliza- 
tion, adopted at the October session) when 
compare<l with the facts ])reviously given, indi- 
cates the material jirogress of the c(mnty to the 
])resent date, showing that the .aggregate val- 
uation of assessable jjroperty in Clinton county 
is upwards of twenty millions of dollars, and 
that there are over three hundred sixtv thou- 
sand acres of land in the comity subject to tax- 
;ition. 



Ai-res ill 
TOWNSHIPS Towii- 

sliii>s 

l'>atll 22.222 

Rengal ^3.-i- 

Bingham .... 20,848 

Dallas 22.960 

DeWitt 22.8fx8 

Duplain 22.312 

Lssex 22.459 

I'.agle 22.22J 

(ireenbu.sh . . . 22,397 

Lebanon 22.268 

Olive 22.900 

Ovid --•799 

Riley 22.918 

\'ictor 22,746 

W'atertown . . . 22,673 

Westphalia . . . 22.y24 
St. Johns. I St 

ward 

St. Johns. 2(1 

ward 

St. Johns. T,i\ 

ward 



Real as iws- 

ses.st'il in 
towii.sliiiw 


R.'al ill 

farm as 

efiHalizi'd 


Real in vil- 
iime and 
cities a-s 
eciualizeil 


PersDiiahis 
as.se.s.se<l 


AKffrefjate 
as e(inali/.ed 


s 717-750 


.S 628,930 


S 43.060 


$ 78.010 


$ 750,000 


1. 1 05. 540 


980,220 




298.780 


1.279,000 


1.045,600 


996,990 




I 13.010 


I.I 10.000 


1,177,090 


946,510 


I 20,670 


327.820 


1,395,000 


1,022,610 


902,840 


60.000 


157.160 


1,120,000 


1,122.010 


828,210 


210.700 


26 1 .090 


1.300,000 


986,200 


830.300 


I 50,800 


21 1.900 


1. 1 93.000 


926,8 1 


848.(>8o 


.SO.32O 


100,700 


980,000 


871,450 


857.950 


35.000 


I 27,050 


1 ,020,000 


804,560 


768,590 




81.410 


850.000 


886,670 


822,220 




177.780 


1 ,000,000 


1.344,250 


949,180 


405,290 


317.530 


1,672,000 


932,190 


871. no 




155.890 


1,027.000 


724,610 


709,280 




120,720 


830,000 


T.I 33,780 


972,310 


30,320 


127.370 


1,130,000 


1,134.760 


926,400 


121,1 10 


322,490 


1,370,000 


566.370 




518,510 


181,490 


700,000 


350.700 




341.580 


95-420 


437,000 


621,910 




500.360 


262.640 


853.000 



Totals 360.533 $17,890,160 $13,810,020 $2,657,720 $3,518,260 $20,016,000 



At the present time the civil list of Clinton 
county is as follows : 

Judge of Proliate. Charles M. Merrill. 
Sheriff. John W. Keeney. 
L'nder-Sheriflf, Isaac Cressman. 



County Clerk". Clark .\. Putt. 
County Treasurer, .\din \\ . Skinner. 
Register of Deeds. Rol)ert S. .\rmour. 
Proseciuing .\ttorney. William M. Smith. 
Circuit Court Commissioners. George H. 



0/^ 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



Marshall and l'"recl Yi. Everett. 

County Drain Commissioner, Monroe 
W'liitmore. 

County Sur\eyor. James F. Clemons. 

Coroner, David L. Eagle. 

County Sch(X)l Commissioner, Theodore H. 
Townsend. 

County School Inspectors. Emerson J. Led- 
dick and B. A. Burns. 

Su])erintenfients of Poor. Frank AI. Spauld- 
ing, Fred A. Travis and John A. Watson. 

Keeper of Poor Farm, Edward Lester. 

The Board of Supervisors consists of the 
following mem])ers : 

Robert ^rcConkev. I'.ath. 



Oral W. Granger, Bengal. 

Joseph M. Cramer. Bingham. 

John P. Uirich. Dallas. 

Mark Pennell, DeWitt. 

Milo X'anDeusen. Duplain. 

\\ illiam L. Tallman, Eagle. 

\\ iliiani C. Sickles, Essex. 

Edgar Burk. Greenbush. 

Jacob E. Ludwick. Leljanon. 

Lewis F. Green, Olive. 

Fred B. Caq)enter, Ovid. 

James H. Burns, Riley. 

James D. Sleight, Victor. 

I'red C. Oppenlander, Watertown. 

William .Smith. Westphalia. 



INDEX 



BIOGRAPHIES OF PROMINENT CITIZENS 



Abbott. Dr. John T 86 

Ackmoody. Benjamin D 110 

Ainslio. Kre<leripk \V 284 

Andriis. Charles T 160 

Arens, .loseph 133 

Armour, Robert S 339 

Avery. C. L 284 

Avery T. C 300 

B 

Baboork. Marvin 78 

Baldwin. Levi \V 2.t 

Banla. Dr. P. H 26 

Barnard. W. S 39 

Barrett. Samuel 268 

Bates. L. G 141 

Beck. .lohn A 166 

Beckett. John T 6.". 

Bedaine, Maurice 162 

Beebee. William F 434 

Beech, .lohn 349 

Bengel. Theodore 177 

Bond. Samuel 227 

Brass. Rev. N. L 407 

Brazee. Homer 95 

Briggs. George B 429 

Brunson. Will H 135 

Bnrk. Kdgar 31 

Burt, R. B 320 



Campbell. Dr. O. B 72 

Carpenter. Fred B 176 

Carter. .lames R 342 

Carter. Levi D 397 

Case. W. V 414 

Casterline. O. D 291 

Caslerline. W. B 165 

Castle. William H 204 

Chaplin. William 270 

Chase. K. V 1") 

Clark. David 240 

Clark. Edward S 338 

Clise. E. A 261 

Cobb, E. W 43 

Cook. Seth M 139 

Corbit. .1. H 117 



Cox. T. H 146 

Craven. ,1. E 175 

Crell, C. F 324 

Cunningham, Oliver 413 

Curtis. L. W 39(1 

Cushman. Samuel 19 

D 

DalxiU. Sherman B 40 

Daggett. William J 323 

Davis. .1. C 329 

Dexter. A. B 375 

Dexter. R. C 48 

Dietrich. Charles S 312 

Dills. O. B 256 

Dills. William 294 

Dills, Winfield S 206 

Dobson. Edwin 308 

Dodge. George H 365 

Dodge. Dr. J. B 283 

Dooling. .John C 175 

Dotv, George R 64 

Douglas. F. L 193 

Dowding. William 392 

Downie. L. B 221 

Dunn. Dr. F. C 255 

Dutcher. Otis J 245 

E 

Eaton. Charles H 435 

Eddv. Charles 318 

Eddv. Darius T 380 

Eddy. T. H 398 

Emmons, George W 96 

Everett, F. R 123 

F 

Farnill. W. H 298 

Faxon, G. B 306 

Fish. James H 433 

Fitzgerald. J. W 22 

Fiz/.ell. .John 199 

Fiz/.ell. William 181 

Fletcher. George W 358 

Forward. C. E 383 

Foster. Samuel 292 

Fox. George W 287 

French. David S 205 

Fuller. Dr. R. T 313 



G 



Gale, Dr. W. Hodskin 393 

f;allup. A. E 438 

Gay. E. W 101 

Gibbs. Giles J 314 

Gillam. Dr. S. E 50 

Gillison. William 230 

Gilson. Lewis F 437 

Green. Charles H 357 

Green. Thomas H 332 

Gunnison. James H 56 

H 

Hamilton. W. E 215 

Harris. Abram 106 

Harris. Capt. A. S 66 

Hengesbach. T. N 71 

Henry. James 305 

Herhison. Robert 76 

Hess. Joseph 269 

Hewitt. Isaac 168 

Hicks. John 20 

Hill. M. M 337 

Hiner. John 1 356 

Hinkson. Dr. J. E 125 

Hinman. Joseph 186 

Holmes. H. J 414 

Holmes. W. H 422 

Houghton. .James 48 

Howard. John W 427 

Howe. Jeremiah B 153 

Howell. H. E 194 

Hutchins. E. M 256 

Hyslop, Robert 140 

I 

Ivos. William 366 

J 

.Jones. H. F 384 

Jones. I,afayette 299 

K 

Keenev. John W 346 

Kellev. Dean W 44 

Kelly. John fi9 



574 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



Kemp, William 280 

Killam, A. A 382 

Kilmer. George M 307 

King, Willard 270 

Kniffin, M. A 359 

Kosht. J. M 212 

Kraus, H. P 299 

Krom, William A 84 

Kyes, B. A 237 



Lacy. H. C 124 

Lacv, W. H 77 

Ladd, William P 409 

Lanee, Alfred D 401 

Landers, Robert - 427 

Lee, A. C 297 

Leonard. Dr. E. S 428 

Lester, Edward R 368 

Letts, Abner 250 

Link. .John 130 

Litchfield. E. A 363 

T>otl. Eugene 423 

Lowe. R. C 126 

Lowell, O. W 246 

Mc 

McConkey. Robert 430 

McParren. Clarence 85 

McFarren. Nelson 151 

McGillicuddy. Dr. James 259 

McKibbin. John 391 

McKnight. Lewis G 317 

MoLouth, Willis 55 

M 

Malony. John 429 

Manlev. Charles H 112 

Melvin. J. L 364 

Messer. M. M 405 

Moinet. E. J 75 

Montague, James 147 

Moon. Sylvester 350 

Moots. R. H 211 

Morrison. A. W 200 

Moss. William J 209 

JIundell. James 394 

N 

Nicholson. L. L 249 

Norton. W. A 367 

O 

Oding. .John C 411 

Oppenlander, Fred C 33 



Page. Jackson 182 

Palmer. Dr. Henry 219 

Parker. Edwin 187 

Parker, Epson 274 

Parker. Newell 267 

Partlow, Levi P 93 

Payne. George W 109 

Pearce, Varney 222 

Pease. L. H 340 

Peck, W. W 134 

Pennell. Galusha 16 

Pennell. Mark 178 

Perkins. Daniel 136 

Perrin. H. M 10 

Perrin. Porter K 7 

Perrv. Stuart H 412 

Piggott, F. M 216 

Pingel. John 437 

Pope. Charles W 331 

Post. Dr. S. M 159 

Potter. H. A 28 

Potter. Warren & Eri 325 

Potter. William F 260 

Pouch. Ananias ■ 401 

Pray. Gurdin E 406 

Pruden, Jay 399 

Putt, Clark A 54 

R 

Read. John 347 

Reed. E. A 374 

Richards. Rev. J. E 34 

Robson. Ray 311 

Robv. A. W 375 

Roby, J. D 382 

Rose. S. W 376 

Rumbaugh. A. C 210 

Rummelt. Henry 105 

S 

Schavey. William 330 

Sexton. Charles 360 

Sexton. .Job W 172 

Sexton. Zephaniah 234 

Shepard. A. G 102 

Sherman. Cyrus 262 

Sherman. C. A 425 

Shratt. J. F 47 

Sibley. Levi W 288 

Sickles. J. D 167 

Simmons. G. R 106 

Skinner. A. W 32 

Skinner. John F 319- 

Sleight. J. D 152 

Sleight. Millard P 220 

Smith. Alfred R 229 

Smith. Archie 341 

Smith. Eli A 196 



Smith, F. B 53 

Smith, William M 239 

Smith, William W 426 

Snelling, W. H 410 

Spaulding, Frank M 228 

Sprague, Benton 27 

Squair, Dr. H. D 279 

Starkweather, W. S 244 

Steel. Rol>ert M 60 

Stichler. D. L 233 

Swain, Frank C 391 

Swaney, H. N 49 

Swarthout, T. L 118 

Sypher. German 419 

T 

Tail. M. L 154 

Tallman. W. L 37 

Taylor. Benjamin 436 

Terry. Joseph 373 

Thompson. Wilber 355 

Tucker, Samuel 326 

U 

Undei-wood. A. L 432 

Upton. Frank W 420 

T'pton. Josiah 421 

V 

Van Deusen. M. R 402 

Vangieson. John 431 

Van Sickle. A. L 90 

Vaughan. C. C 408 

Vredenburg. F. M 348 

W 

Wagner. Lewis D Ill 

Walbridge. Edward L 99 

Walbridge. Henry 115 

W^albridge, H. E 89 

Walter. O. B 293 

Ward. H. F 254 

Warner. Dr. J. A 408 

Warren. Charles L 371 

Warren. J. J 148 

Watson. Homer 381 

Webb. N. L 162 

Webster, Alonzo 195 

Webster. Mervin 185 

Weller. Dr. Martin 424 

Whitlock. W. J 59 

Williams. C. S 142 

Williams. Norman 253 

Woodbury, W. H 389 

Y 

Young. B. F 188 

Youry . John W 364 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY. 



575 



HISTORICAL CLINTON COUNTY 



Preface 441 

Geographical Features 442 

Surface and Soil 443 

Barriers Removed 444 

Westward Movement 445 

Evidence of Pre-Indian Occupa- 
tion 445 

Indian Traditions 446 

Indian Traders Arrive 448 

Indiant; and Settlers 448 

Governor Lewis Cass Succeeds. 449 
Indian Trails and Early Roads 455 
Michigan Plans Highways 457 



Other Internal Improvements. . 459 

Michigan Railroad Schemes... 459 

D.. C. H. & M. Railway 4B0 

Other Railroad Enterprises.... 463 
Lansins and Suburban Electric 

Railway 466 

Growth of the Settlements 467 

Pioneer Life and Progress 470 

Early Villages of Clinton 

County 493 

Conditions and Customs of the 

Pioneer Settlements 511 

Incidents of Life in the Settle- 
ments 519 



Civil History of Clinton County 520 
County and Circuit Courts of 

Clinton's Judiciary 522 

Probate Court 524 

Probate Records Show Progress 525 

County Organization 526 

Formation of Townships 530 

Public Affairs of the County... 531 

County Buildings 533 

County Farm 536 

City of St. Johns 538 

General Survey 568 

Clinton County Medical Society 568 
Clinton County Bar 570 



I 



I 

I 



